Outed
by NinjaGazelle
Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU
1. Chapter 1

After going back through this, I am warning you now that this story **will **be dark. Not exactly light hearted, so if you are in the mood for that, read something else. Sorry.

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, also, there are likely rape scenes. Once again, that is why it is under **Mature. **

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>The meaningful glares and angry stares say it all. Their eyes are non-welcoming and harsh, something Sasuke has never seen before. He shudders reflexes to the offending cold around him as he moves to the bench where his things are laid down. Sasuke shrugs into his thin jacket, regretting not heeding his mother's advice that morning about his clothing choice.<p>

He regrets many things, far too many to name.

He breathes out through his nose, creating a thick cloud of mist. The shorts and shirt he wears are completely soaked from the rain, as is his hair. He gives a fleeting glance toward the now closed door to the locker room and shakes his head, making a decision. He won't trek through that minefield, not today. His coach eyes him through the thickening deluge and Sasuke can feel it.

"Night, coach." He murmurs as he passes him, heading in the direction of the parking lot. The coach stops Sasuke by setting a hand on his shoulder.

"It gets better, Sasuke." He says in a soft tone, one different from the one he takes during practice. Sasuke cannot bring himself to say anything even though he is seen as one of the more mature boys. Talking about a particular play or how to improve form is different than speaking about personal issues. He only nods awkwardly and moves away, the wet turf field squeaking underfoot.

The parking lot is empty, save the arriving cars. They idle by the curb, holding loving mothers, anxious fathers, or annoyed siblings. Sasuke is waiting for his older brother without high hopes. He flips up the collar of his jacket, covering the bottom of his ears. He steps from one cleated foot to the other for warmth. Cutting droplets of rain slip from his black hair down his back, causing him to shake.

The boys are exiting the building now. Their jovial attitude cools upon seeing Sasuke shaking in the rain. They mutter indistinct goodbyes before slipping into their cozy cars. Before one can close the door, his mother squeezes her head out to smile at Sasuke.

"Does Sasuke need a ride, honey?" she asks her son, not taking her eyes off Sasuke. The boy peeks wearily out at his friend, a pained look on his face. Sasuke sees this and feels as if he has been kneed in the solar plexus. Suddenly, everything is painfully real to him and he turns from the car and its occupants. His brother is not coming to get him, no one is going to give him a ride, this is the aching truth and Sasuke knows it. His steps are uneasy as he walks on his cleats on the slick pavement. His parents would shriek at the sight of this, but they would only wail harder if he went home.

Sasuke does not know where to go. Not home, his parents will likely know by now. Calling a friend is out of the question. The last option is Sasuke's shining beacon of hope, of possible salvation.

Naruto lies on the couch in his living at an odd angle. His legs are up over the back of the sofa, his head upside down as he watches the television. An elongated yellow dog with joules and a boy with a green backpack fill the scream, lighting the darkened room. Naruto wears pajama pants he got when he was young. They are too tight around the crotch and end at mid-calf. He has been wearing them for the past few days during his quarantined existence. The green shirt he wears hangs down, nearly over his eyes, but he stops it by biting onto it. He is sixteen years old.

The show morphs into a commercial about fluffy toys and Naruto's interest is lost. He feels the pumping of the veins in his forehead and his suddenly curious about how he got into this position. He enjoys it and remains inverted in that oddly comfortable posture. The advertisement is a new one, this time urging the youthful audience to buy a CD by third-rate artists imitating the popular songs of the moment. Naruto scrunches his nose in distaste.

After three days of sick, fevered house arrest, Naruto feels he has been disconnected from the world. This could have to do with the fact that he has not seen his cell phone in all that time. He privately likes this, relishing in his alone time. It gives him a while to think, to think about a particular person. 'I wonder how Sasuke's doing?' He absently wonders to himself, instantly dismissing the idea of Sasuke being out of sorts without him. It makes him sad how distant Sasuke is. He almost wishes the guy would come crying to his doorstep.

Yet another thirty-minute interval has passed and the next episode of the outrageous show begins again. Naruto's attention is diverted as he mumbles along about Jake the dog and Finn the hu-man.

Outside, the rain is pounding on the roof hard enough to bounce back off. Sasuke is steaming with boiling rage as he trudges up the pathway to Naruto's front door. He wonders why he is here, but he resolves it to be that Naruto has been out of the loop recently and does not know. He is thankful for the cover over the door and notices the darkness of the window next to it. Sasuke's anger is shining hotter at the thought of Naruto not being there. 'He had better fucking be here.' He thinks with irritation as he leans to peek into the dimmed living room. A bright screen shines in the murkiness and relief spread through Sasuke.

He pounds on the door, musing about what his explanation will be. What can he say? He wants to sleepover? Sasuke thinks this is an awkward thing to say, even for himself. He looks over his shoulder into the sheets of rain for no reason while he waits for the door to open. As the moments pass, Sasuke is beginning to get angry again.

"Naruto!" He yells as he bangs his fist on the door. Naruto is so startled he slips from the couch to the hard ground with an "oof". He rubs his blond head as he gets to his feet.

"Who the hell?" He murmurs, shuffling to the door. As he opens it his breathing heart drops into his stomach. He has to force himself from slamming the door shut for fear but holds it open wide. "Sasuke, hey." He says in an embarrassed tone. Sasuke picks up on and looks at him strangely, hoping Naruto is not aware. Taking in Naruto's welcoming atmosphere and usual look of confusion on his face, Sasuke sees this as a good sign. He steps loudly into the house, rain dripping down from his sodden clothing to the floor. Naruto looks him up and down, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Nope. Can I use your shower?" Sasuke asks, dropping his sports' bag to the ground with a clunk and turns interested toward the television. "Adventure Time, really Naruto?" He says, a tinge of condescension to his tone. Naruto shrugs.

"Sure, use mine." Naruto scoops up the bag and leads Sasuke down a dark hall, the only sound is intense rain and the loud clacking of Sasuke's cleats. Naruto wants to ask but he doesn't, knowing Sasuke's reply would be a swift appearance of the middle finger. And that was just Naruto's favorite part of Sasuke's body. He opens the door to his room, not feeling even an ounce of discomfort. The two stand in middle of the mess of a room for a moment. "I'll loan you a pair of pants and a shirt." Naruto says, seeing how soaked both Sasuke's backpack and sports' bag are.

"Just nothing like that."

"What?" Naruto has no idea what he is talking about for a moment. Then he glances down at his fashionably atrocious pants. He reddens slightly and nods in assent. "You couldn't handle this." He says sarcastically, setting the bag on his unmade bed. An awkward moment passes, during which Naruto's eyes fix on the window above his bed. It is so late in the year that the sky is dark even though it is early in the evening. His face takes on a pensive look and Sasuke is transfixed by it. Never has he seen Naruto's brilliant eyes so somber.

"So," Sasuke says. "The clothing?" Naruto nods slowly and he steps over the crumbled shirts and pants strewn about the floor. As he feels around in his closet, Naruto speaks quietly over his shoulder, "What happened?" Sasuke tenses, not surprised Naruto has picked up on his mood. Sasuke can't bring himself to talk about it. 'No, not to him.' Naruto is turning around, holding out a nicer pair of jeans and a black v-neck shirt. "I'll be out there." He says in a quiet tone, exiting the room. Sasuke is overwhelmed with annoying gratitude toward him and watches Naruto slowly close the door behind him.

Sasuke lets out a low sigh and tightens his grip on the clothing in his hands. He brings the linens to his nose, breathing in deep. Sasuke tells himself he is only doing this to confirm that the clothing is actually clean. But the scents that belong solely to Naruto fill Sasuke's lungs and he is reminded of late nights of dreaming for the future and playful fights for bragging rights. 'Shit, if he only knew.'

Naruto listens for the running water of the shower and calms when he hears it. His face is painted by worry. Sasuke has not arrived at Naruto's house in years like this. He is convinced something has happened but a part of him doesn't want to know the truth. The truth will do something to the already degraded fragments of their friendship he is sure. The happy music of the show and elated chortles of the characters suddenly seems annoying and Naruto kills the power, darkening the room. He falls back on the couch, sinking into its tender caress. The light reflected on the ceiling from the porch light outside is flickering with the shadows of dripping rainwater. He watches its orange light with unbound interest, wondering if it will ever stop raining. Hoping it won't, because then Sasuke will not have a reason to leave.

By the time Sasuke moves silently down the hallway, it is long past the time he should be getting home. He wonders if his parents are missing him, likely, his brother, could care less. He powers down his cell phone, wanting to lose it in the rain after all the texts he has received over the past few days. As he slips the metal devil into his pocket, Sasuke is struck by the darkness of the house.

"Naruto?" He says into the seemingly empty house. The black v-neck he is wearing is thin and is not keeping warmth for him. The hems of the jeans are dragging slightly on the wooden floor and Sasuke is puzzled. Last time they measured, Sasuke had been taller. That was four months ago during their boring summer of hot, lazy days. It lasted until the beginning of August when he began soccer again, spending less and less time with Naruto.

Sasuke sees Naruto's barefoot hanging over the edge of the couch and instantly knows he is sleeping. His first thought is to push him off the sofa but instead, he simply watches, taking in the image of his dormant friend. His blond hair is more of a tussled mess than usual, Sasuke appreciates it better this way, even though will taunt him about it when he wakes up. Sasuke watches as Naruto's pink, exposed stomach rises and falls. His shirt is hiked up over his arm, which rests on his chest. Sasuke squeezes in by Naruto's feet, resting them on his lap, not caring anymore. He peeks back at Naruto's face, it is peaceful and quiet. Sleeping, Naruto seems so much younger in Sasuke's eyes, he is that little boy alone at the swing set again and Sasuke frowns.

When was the last time he actually spent time with his best friend? Sasuke has to think about it for a long moment, saddened by the realization. Of course it was not Naruto who drifted away, ignored Sasuke's calls, or did not attend Sasuke's soccer games. Sasuke is filled with shame and regret, the same feeling that has been dragging him down all day. Another lengthy sigh leaves Sasuke's lips as a hiss and he stretches his arms up above his head just as Naruto stirs.

"Hey," Sasuke greets. "Didn't I was worthy enough to stay up for?" Sasuke thinks about the words he's just said, cursing himself. Naruto pulls his knees closer to him and he yawns an apology.

"So, are you staying the night then?" Naruto asks, looking through the blackness in Sasuke's direction

"Yeah, hope you don't mind." Sasuke knows he doesn't mind but says this to be kind. Naruto's exposed teeth soon glow in the night. Movement tells Sasuke he is reaching for a light. "No, don't."

"Okay…" Naruto returns to his position and sits quietly. "What do we want to do? Marathon of some kind. If we're doing that I vouch for Lo—"

"Actually, I'd like to sleep."

"Sleep?" Naruto asks in a baffled tone. "But it's only six!"

"Yeah, can I use your bed?"

"Are you okay?"

"Can I use your bed?" Sasuke repeats. Naruto gives up and answers, "Fine, but don't do any weird shit in it." Though this comment is harmless, Sasuke can't help but feel stung by it. He says nothing more and gets up. Naruto breathes in like he's going to say something and Sasuke freezes.

"Sasuke, what happened? Is it serious?"

"You can decide that for yourself, you'll find out soon enough." Sasuke replies without skipping a beat. Naruto stares quizzically after Sasuke's shadow as he disappears down the hallway. 'Sasuke…'

!

Clang! Clang! Clang! The morning bus ride to school. Naruto does not have a car and Sasuke's hair is now completely wet because of that. Clang! The only sound on the bus, next to Naruto banging his foot against the metal bar under the seat before him, are the voices of the courageous few who can utter a single syllable on four hours' sleep. Clang! Sasuke slowly turns in Naruto's direction, a mask of irritation and annoyance. Clang! Naruto pays no attention to him as he peers out the window, a thoughtful look on his features.

Resignedly, Sasuke looks away; he is not going to ruin Naruto's morning prematurely. He begins to wish he took the inside seat Naruto offered earlier as people begin to steal glances at him. Clang! Naruto's music is now a faint whining as he sheds his headphones, studying his seat partner. Sasuke is slightly unsettled by the intensity of the gaze.

"What?" Sasuke snaps, giving a fleeting look at Naruto.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about whatever's made you feel this way." He says in a quiet, gentle voice.

"You fags getting off the bus or what?" An obnoxious boy asks impatiently, tapping his foot on the wet floor. Sasuke winces, a deadly look spreading across his face. As he brings his backpack up Sasuke is sure to hit the boy in the chest with it. A flicker of comprehension passes over his face and Sasuke fears he knows. 'Why worry, it's going to happen anyway.'

Sasuke's first period is not shared with his blond friend, instead it is overwhelmingly filled with the enemy. Sasuke enters the room discreetly, having chosen to wear darker, forgettable clothing. His attempts at being unremarkable are pushed away as peoples' eyes land on him. He hates himself for not bringing his ipod to school the day before. He hates himself for many reasons. As he slides into his desk near the back a shadow of foreboding casts itself upon him. The cheery brunette who always tries so painfully hard to flirt with him is not even turning to look back at him.

'So this is how it's going to be?'

More drowsy students trickle into the classroom, taking their seats. The boy who's mother offered Sasuke a ride collapses into his squeaky chair dramatically. His desk is alongside Sasuke's and he doesn't even try to hide how openly he is staring. Before Sasuke can stop himself, he looks at the boy, instantly regretting it. The boy's face is blank instead of its customary visage of happiness. The boy's name is Andrew and he says nothing. Sasuke nods, ending their silent conversation.

By lunch, Naruto is worried. Everything is painfully normal, the usual suspects ignore him and the regular weirdos engage him in unwanted conversation. He has no money to spend though his stomach rumbles loudly, he's used to this. While other students flaunt their unnecessary expenditures in the forms of crappy metal, Naruto gazes up at the cloudy sky. It is bright gray, but the rain stopped ages ago. A crisp wind whips across the wide, open area of the outside commons of the school, causing Naruto to tense. He remembers Sasuke slipping on a thin sweatshirt this morning and shakes his head knowledgeably.

Naruto's fellow loners, the ones who come stumbling out of the back parking lot, run as best they can while high toward the school. He has always wondered what ganja smells like, chastising himself on not knowing the pungent aroma everyone else seems to relish. Though Naruto may dress like a slacker and loiter around the rear-end of the school, he could not hurt a fly. The closest time he has ever gotten in a fight was when he was younger during this innocent years just before the rude awakening that is puberty. Sasuke was there too, they were friends even back then. Naruto is hazy on the details regarding the means that brought about the fight.

They were laughing and happy, then the next moment rolling on the ground, tearing at each other's faces. It had been Naruto who first drew blood. With his young, bright eyes widened in alarm and disbelief, red droplets of a foreign liquid trickled down from Sasuke's cut cheek. They flowed down his face, sliding onto Naruto's flushed one. They were silent, gazing at the crimson in youthful amazement. It took a moment, but Sasuke realized his cut cheek stung and he lashed out at Naruto blindly.

Long story short, the two ended up with matching scratches and sterile white dressings to go with them.

Naruto fingers the subtle scars on his face. They are undetectable to anyone and everyone. All except Naruto and Sasuke. He stares blankly ahead, taking in the sight of the plain parking lot. He watches the druggie kids who think they are being elusive as they hand small plastic packages to each other. Naruto snorts at them, he can name any dealer or buyer at a moments' notice if necessary. He moves his line of vision to an old Volvo. Inside, a couple is trying their best at being romantically adventuresome. Based on the looks of revulsion on the girl's face, Naruto can see it is not going over well.

The music playing in his ears is a dull, hackneyed beat. He does not change the song, as he is intent on being immobile. To the endless tune of "uns, uns, uns…" and under the monotonous sky of slate, Naruto suddenly feels achingly lonely. As he leans away from the cool brick wall, his mind fills with the image of Sasuke, his only friend. Where is he now? 'Is he okay?'

!

Sasuke glares up at the clearing sky with disdain. As the clouds float away, darkness is falling, making the temperature drop significantly. The solid sound of a ball being kicked sends Sasuke's eyes back down to earth. He steels himself for the contact with the ball, letting his chest soften the ball's blow. It drops to the ground and he glances around his field of teammates quickly. No one is open for a pass, at least not yet. As a defensive player makes his swift way in Sasuke's direction, he makes a snapshot decision. Using his quickness to his advantage, Sasuke weaves past the defender with the ball, his head on a swivel for an open player. His searching is fruitless, no one is coming, no one will help him. With his attention diverted for just that one moment, the defender from before takes this time to slam into Sasuke. The two fall to the ground with a bone-crushing thud. As Sasuke groans from pain, the boy gets to his feet, an evil look on his face.

"Liked that, didn't you?" He grumbled, slinking away. One of the many coaches lopes over, a bored expression on his face. He holds out a hand for Sasuke to grasp. When he does not immediately accept the hand, the coach glares down at the hurt boy.

"C'mon Uchiha, stop your bitching, don't be a girl." The coach says in a condescending tone.

"That's cuz he is, coach." The same defender from before calls out, getting a wave of appreciation from the other players. Sasuke is on his feet, pushing past the coach before anyone can stop him. He has a look of concentration on his face and he lunges for him, his fists outstretched. His punch lands squarely on the guy's jaw, a resounding crack filling the air. As he falls to the ground, he brings Sasuke along with him. The two punch and crawl and kick at each other, making rough contact. Coaches and players pry the two apart, the defender yelling incoherently and pointing a shaking, bloody finger at him. Sasuke drags the back of his hand across his already swollen, bottom lip, glaring.

"Sasuke, you're off the team, get out of here!" Sasuke's favorite coach demands, a saddened look in his eyes.

"But coach! He—" Sasuke begins, stopping abruptly as he takes in the superior looks on peoples' faces. "Whatever, fuck it! Fuck you all! Especially you, fatass!" Sasuke yells, staring pointedly at the defender. He marches away, making a point of not turning around. His cheeks burn from the humiliation of punching one of school's best players and screaming at all of his past friends. 'Damn, that hurt.' Sasuke gingerly massages his jaw which is bloodied. He can imagine the bruising that will grow there.

With one backpack strap slung over one shoulder, the band on his sports' bag over the other. Sasuke does not even wait in the parking lot, at the miniscule likelihood his loser of a brother will show up offering a ride. Sasuke doesn't even want to approach his home for fear of what his mother will say at the sight of the blood and the words of quiet disapproval his father will murmur. And, only slightly surprised, he finds himself traveling in the direction of Naruto's house once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I have nothing to say.

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, also, there are likely rape scenes. Once again, that is why it is under **Mature.**

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>As Sasuke makes his way to Naruto's empty home, Naruto is out. Where he is, is a secret, a place no one can know about. He pulls the earflaps of his hat down to cover his cold ears. The plaid patterned hoodie he is clothed in is thick and protects him from the wintry air, he is extremely thankful for this. His feet are itching to move quickly but he cannot. It is too late and not the right place for it. Naruto dreads the idea of going back to that cold house. His father will not be there, as he has not for weeks now, and neither has his mother. But, somehow the bills have been getting paid.<p>

He passes time by dropping by a 7eleven. As he combs the loaded shelves, Naruto can feel the stare of the girl at the counter. She chews minty gum loudly. Naruto knows the scent because she has chewed so much the air is tinged by tingling freshness. He glances at her, taking in her jet-black hair and dark eyes and pale skin. 'Familiar.'

"Hey, you, blond boy." She calls out in a seductive voice. Naruto slowly, meaningfully looks up from the assorted candy bars before him.

"Yeah?" His voice is husky, his blue eyes seem darker all of a sudden. The girl notices this and feels inclined to get closer to this boy.

"A-are you gonna buy anything?" She asks, her voice no longer having its tantalizing edge from before. Naruto picks up a Snickers, placing it down in a different brand receptacle. He chuckles darkly {could not resist the charlieissocoolike reference}. He is sidling up to the counter, an easy smile on his lips.

"What do you want me to buy?" He asks, his tone dripping with innuendo. Her face blushes, reminding him so much of Sasuke. 'Beautiful.'

!

Naruto is filled with newfound energy as he leaps up onto his unmowed lawn. The wetness of the long grass clings to his dark jeans and he stops in place, staring at Sasuke.

"W-where the h-hell have you been?" He asks, stuttering with the painful cold. Naruto narrows his eyes, scrutinizing Sasuke in the dim porch light.

"What happened to you?" Naruto questions urgently, avoiding the question. He is moving steadily closer, his fingers outstretched.

"Never mind that, can you let me in?"

"Tell me what happened first." Naruto is adamant, a pained expression on his face as he sees the dried blood. "When did this happen?"

"Earlier." Sasuke snaps, avoiding Naruto's matriarchal gaze. The sympathetic face clears and is replaced with one of anger.

"Sasuke." He growls, getting his attention. "Tell me." With teeth chattering, Sasuke tries his best to give Naruto a black look. As he stares at Naruto, he takes in his appearance. He is wearing narrow jeans and a large hoodie, both in darker tones. On his head, he wears a neon orange hat, locks of blond peek out in the front. Sasuke is struck by the potency of Naruto's stare.

"I got in a fight, that's all." Sasuke finally says, looking down at Naruto's shoes. Something inside Naruto snaps, his gentleness giving way to something far more sinister.

"Sasuke! Jesus fucking Christ, that's not all. Tell me!"

"No." Sasuke growls back, his voice rising.

"You're my only friend and you won't even tell me this? What the hell?" The angry face is morphing into a darker one.

"I have to keep at least some of my dignity…" Sasuke tries to avoid telling everything.

"So you're gay! Does it look like I give a shit? I couldn't really care less." Naruto blurts after a long pause.

"…You knew?" Sasuke asks in a small voice, shock slowly registering in his eyes.

"I've known for a while." Naruto says a bit uneasily, moving toward the door. Sasuke shies away from him.

"A while," He echoes, dismay in his voice. As Naruto pulls his keys out of his pocket, Sasuke breathes in deeply. "How long?" Naruto fumbles with the icy, metal key, letting it slip to the ground. "Naruto, how long have you known?" Sasuke's mood is gloomy.

"Um…Well, I think I've always kind of known. I mean did you think I would never notice all the times you were checking me out whenever I was changing?" Naruto looks at Sasuke, a goofy grin on his face in an attempt to lighten the mood. Instead, Sasuke's face is hot with shame and embarrassment. Naruto successfully unlocks the door and lets it slowly drift open to the warm, dark place.

"I'm going." Sasuke says, leaning to pick one of his bags. Instantly, Naruto grips him by the upper arm. "Naruto, stop. I should go home."

"Home to what? An uncaring father, a fretting mother, and… Itachi." Naruto gets out at the last moment with scorn. He does not like Itachi. Sasuke's eyes narrow.

"Don't insult my fam—"

"Cut the bullshit, Sasuke and get inside and clean yourself up." Naruto hisses, stepping into the dark house. Sasuke quickly follows him inside, rubbing his frozen hands together. Naruto glances back at Sasuke, worry in his eyes.

"Sasuke, I don't care if you're ga—"

"I care, alright!" Sasuke blurts, looking at the blank flat screen. "I'm going to take a shower." He mutters, sinking down to pick up the bag he's dropped. Even though his cuts and purple bruises sting, what hurts more is how much Naruto has changed.

!

The water burns at first touch, but instead of flinching away, Sasuke lets the water scald his freezing body. His eyes are squeezed shut as the shower sprays on his face front on. He holds his breath for a long moment, trying not to think of anything. Yet, his mind is soon cluttered with images he really does not want to see. Most of them are his imagination of Naruto full of repulsion. He shivers at the idea of losing his one true friend. He steps back, his hot back against the cool white tiles of the shower. 'Why was he so calm about it? Could it be he really doesn't care…about me?' Sasuke lets boiling water pool in the palm of his hand before he splashes his face with it, waking himself up.

He begins to lather the same shampoo Naruto wears into his hair, breathing in the nice scent. 'Naruto…' Something Naruto said dawns on Sasuke. With furrowed brows, his twists the water off, thinking quizzically. 'I've checked him out?'

Thinking back on it, he remembers that yes he has. His face is red at the memory of Naruto peeling a colorful shirt off, not seeming to pay attention to Sasuke. Naruto has a remarkable body. It is lithe, but subtly muscular. On his chest are just the wisps of chest hair, making him still the young boy he is. His arms are nicely toned, as are his legs. 'Where did that come from?' Sasuke is curious, not that he can recall, does Naruto play any sports. Sasuke reaches for a towel that hangs on a rod. He glares at the ground, taking in the mess. 'Just when I thought he was getting mature…' Sasuke steps delicately round the piles of clothing.

On the table rests a steaming bowl of ramen, next to it a note. Sasuke stares down at the paper. "Gone out. Stay, don't stay I don't care. But promise me you'll eat." Sasuke smirks, the closest he will allow himself to a smile. While ramen is not Sasuke's favorite dish, he will eat any Naruto has made. The house is empty except for Sasuke. He wonders about the location of the Uzumaki family. The last time he has seen Naruto's father was months ago, his mother maybe a year. 'Maybe his family is more fucked up than mine.'

Five minutes sees Sasuke standing in the middle of Naruto's illuminated room. Unlike the bathroom, it is tidy and in order. Everything, save a loosely stacked pile of books mixed with manga. The top book gives Sasuke pause, seeing it is an elementary yearbook.

"He kept these?" Sasuke says aloud as to not feel completely alone. Curiosity taking over, he takes a seat on the ground. As he reaches for the book, he feels a slight wave of apprehension. He opens the book, the cheery memories of elementary with Naruto coming back. Sasuke skips to the individual photos and frowns at what he sees. Uchiha and Uzumaki were the only U's at that school, putting the pictures alongside each other. Sasuke's picture is grim, like most of his following photos as well. Naruto looks as foolish as ever, a wide grin on his face.

Beneath the respective shots, Sasuke is shocked to see his own young handwriting. "Idiot." It reads for Naruto. Under his picture, Naruto wrote, "Sasuke never smiles. except when he is with me." Sasuke says nothing, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He pages through the next yearbook, quietly anxious about what Naruto has to say about Sasuke's middle school pictures. Out of the pair, Sasuke is the only one who seems to have matured at all. His jaw is more angular and his eyes more pessimistic. He looks back at that time, it was just when the girls were becoming interested in him.

"All the girls like this frowny face…why?" Naruto's nearly unreadable handwriting boldly states.

Last year of middle school, the same gloomy face glares out. Naruto's picture no longer one of a grinning child. It was that year that something drastically changed in Naruto. He seemed a darker, more pensive person than ever before. He dropped out from soccer then, something Sasuke and him had done for years.

Freshman year of high school. Sasuke looks same as ever, and Naruto, he notes is irritatingly attractive. His dusty hair is scruffy and his cheeks are flushed from biking to school in a rush. Naruto did not scribble anything into the yearbook for either of he pictures and Sasuke feels slightly flattened. He skips to the next and searches for the sophomore section.

The pictures being taken about a year and a half before, Sasuke can see the difference between Naruto then and now. Instead of the bored face Sasuke usually adopted, this shot shows a Sasuke with the faintest trace of a smile. The only reason he smiled was because Naruto was behind the cameraman, glaring at him. And beneath the picture, Naruto wrote simply, "Finally." Sasuke pushes the book away, his face suddenly very hot. He then buries himself in homework.

!

As if an animal with finely attuned hearing, Sasuke picks up on the sound of the front door latch clicking. He resists the urge to stand from the bed and stride to the living room. Worry is coursing through him quickly as his heart pounds loudly in his ears. Rather than remaining in the main room, Sasuke hears Naruto make his way toward the room.

The bed is large and comfortable and smells of Naruto. Sasuke presses his back to the coolness of the wall next to him as he pretends to be asleep. His eyes are wide open but the darkness of the room shields them from Naruto's vision.

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto says as he enters, knowing Sasuke is awake. He rolls his eyes instantly. There is the sound of scratching of cloth as Naruto slips out of his clothing. "Hope you don't mind, but I'm sleeping in the bed. It's more comfortable than the couch out there." Naruto announces as he approaches the bed, his bare feet putting soft pressure on the carpet underfoot. Sasuke tenses instinctively as Naruto reaches for the pillow beside Sasuke's face. He settles the cushion at the other end of the bed and slips into the bed, his frozen legs grazing against Sasuke's warm ones.

"Jesus!" Sasuke shrieks.

"What?" Naruto yells back, matching Sasuke's urgent tone. "What the hell, Sasuke?"

"What's wrong with your feet?" Sasuke asks, sitting up in the bed. Naruto straightens as well, making out the outline of Sasuke in the dark.

"I was just outside, of course it was cold out there." Naruto murmurs in a mocking tone.

"Where were you?" Sasuke asks quietly, his eyes searching through the night for Naruto's face. When Naruto doesn't respond he lies back, sighing. "You know I'm gay, it's only fair I know where you go late at night."

"I don't think those things can really be compared…" Naruto's voice fades. He settles back, being sure of not touching Sasuke, even though a thought tugs at the back of his mind. He wants to feel the quick, stinging warmth Sasuke will offer him. As Sasuke rolls from one side to another he is thinking the same thing.

?

Everyone glances at Sasuke and Naruto as they stroll down the hallway. Naruto chews on the fifth stick of 5 gum of the day, a haze of minty air surrounds him. On his face is an easy smile as he listens to his music and peeks at the unnerved Sasuke. It is lunch and Sasuke has nowhere to go. Where he regularly spends this free period of campus at some nearby, crowded, fast food joint he is now walking with Naruto. He feels as though every widened pupil is on him. To tell the truth, no one cares.

"Calm down." Naruto murmurs, not lifting an earphone when he talks. Sasuke's already angry face hardens to ferocity. Never did he think Naruto Uzumaki would tell _him _to calm down. As Naruto pushes the door to the back parking lot open, Sasuke is remotely worried. Though his mind has wandered in the past about where Naruto spends his lunches, he is apprehensive Naruto could be leading him to a druggie confab in the parking lot. Instead of making his way toward the crowd of obvious under-achievers in the lot, Naruto leads Sasuke to a small break in the wall. It is a few feet wide hole, large enough for a person and a half. Sasuke raises his eyebrows at Naruto.

"Usually it's just me so…" Naruto blushes at his lack of forethought. Sasuke feels relieved upon seeing that look he knows so well.

"No, let's do it." Sasuke says with a sort of dominance. Naruto shrugs off his backpack and slips back into the tight space, Sasuke following. By the time they are both seated, their legs are knotted with each other's. Sasuke sits on a bit of Naruto's thigh, a pissed look on his face. Naruto breaks the tense silence with a small chuckle.

"I haven't been this close to you since…well since both our tongues got stuck to the same pole." Naruto remembers fondly. Sasuke shudders at the memory. It had been one of the coldest winters they had ever seen. The pair was young, six maybe when Sasuke dared Naruto to press his tongue to the icy pole. After a lot of hassling, the blond was able to get Sasuke to join him. They stood side by side, their ears tickling the other's, their faces red with terror. It had been Itachi who found them. He proceeded to pelt them with snowballs, pure enjoyment displayed on his evil face.

Naruto's face cracks into a full smile, followed by a laugh. With Naruto shaking with joy next to him, Sasuke cannot help but give a small grin too.

"God, you were an idiot, even back then." Sasuke murmured haughtily.

"Shut up, you're the one who forced me."

"Forced? You're wrong. It was a joke, but you had to take it to the next level and actually put your tongue on the pole." Sasuke says quickly, staring at the wall just past Naruto's nose. "Everyone knows, you don't do that."

"Then why'd you join me?" Naruto wants to know, suddenly an earnest look on his face.

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there by yourself, could I?" Sasuke poses the rhetorical question, looking out at the parking lot, not expecting an answer.

"You could have." Naruto says solemnly. A long silence interrupts them as they both try the impossible: not to notice the person they are tangled with. Naruto is thankful for the closeness of Sasuke. He provides a warmth he has never enjoyed here. A girl's voice in the distance swears loudly, resulting in raucous laughter. When here by himself, Naruto usually closes his eyes, trying to make out the nuances of the druggies' widely varied conversations. He has come to find they are truly not bad people, rather, kids who have merely chosen a different lifestyle.

"Naruto,"

"Yeah?"

"If you're not comfortable…"

"Comfortable?" Naruto finally turns to Sasuke, seeing the pained expression.

"With me." Sasuke murmurs before clearing his throat.

"Now? Because, it doesn't bother me too muc—"

"I mean whenever." Sasuke glances at Naruto, whose eyes are still on him. He takes a moment before replying, giving a short, irritated sigh.

"Like I said before, it doesn't bother me."

"How can you be so calm!" Sasuke snaps angrily.

"Why are you so worked up?" Naruto counters. Sasuke does not say anything back. Thinking for a long moment, he finally mutters, "Why didn't you say anything if you knew? And you wanted me to tell you to your face. Are you a sadist or something, putting people through pain, do you get kicks out of that?" Naruto's face was noticeably irritated. Before he could say a come back, the bell was ringing and Sasuke was already trying to free himself. Sasuke knelt over for his backpack, and not even glancing back at Naruto he left.

'I didn't say anything because I knew this would happen.'

?

Instead of joining the other soccer players on the field for practice, Sasuke walks away from the sprawling, white school. He is plugged into his ipod, barraging his eardrums with loud alternative rock. His anger at Naruto is yet to be assuaged. He walks with a simmering anger. The shoes he wears—an aged pair of Naruto's Converse—squeak loudly against the moist pavement. His breathing is quick and his cheeks are pink with the cold. Sasuke slows, realizing with sudden outrage. He lives miles from the school. 'Dammit, I mean I could walk. I would get home after dark…maybe that's a good option. I could call Itachi…no.'

"Sasuke!" A voice calls, a taunting edge to its tone. He doesn't hear the girl calling from car, for his music is too loud. She yells again, waving a hand out of the window. Either he does not notice her or he is dodging her on purpose. The girl resorts to ramming the palm of her hand against the middle of the steering wheel. Sasuke hears the faint whining and pulls a white earbud from his ear. He glares at the girl, who's leering back. "Hey, Sasu!"

"Sakura." He mutters with annoyance.

"C'mon, I'll give you a ride." She says, stopping the car. Others behind her begin to honk their horns in anger, yelling out choice words as well. Sasuke halts, looking away from her cheery face. "You'd better hurry. You're holding up traffic."

"You're holding up traffic." Sasuke grumbles, walking around the front of the car to get in. As he settles into the uncomfortably warm car, he glances at Sakura. The customary pink of her hair is neon blue, she has one lock pushed back behind her ear, fastened in place with a pencil. "So, you were the one then." Sasuke says, looking out blankly at the before him.

"I may have let it slip out, yes. Hope you don't mind." Sasuke says with a smile on her lips. Sasuke simply shrugs.

"I don't. It could have been worse." Sakura chuckles at what he's said, this scares him.

"You mean the fact, I could have mentioned that you're like totally in love with Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura grins at Sasuke. He snaps his attention on her, his face reddening.

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie, when it's obviously the truth." The car slows at a stop sign, and continues. 'Rolling stop.'

"We are talking about you." Sasuke counters without skipping a beat.

"Touché." Sakura smirks. "But deny and evade all you want, you know it's true. Naruto probably knows too."

"How the hell would you know?"

"I'm a school reporter, it's my job to know everything."

"By that, you mean other people's business, no?"

"Touché again Sasuke. You're really hitting the mark today."

"Don't I always." Sasuke deadpans, scrutinizing a suspicious stain on the pants he's wearing. 'Note to self: never borrow Naruto's clothing again.' At a stoplight, Sakura reaches across to the glove compartment in front of Sasuke. She pulls out a full pack of gum. She offers Sasuke some, not expecting a yes, as she is already pulling away. Sasuke slips a stick out before she's out of his reach.

"I still think you coming out was the best option. No more girls with broken hearts."

"Please don't tell me you're _still _going on about that." Sasuke says, thinking back to two years before. Sakura still had pink hair then. It was long and she coveted it. Her green eyes were twinkling at the impossibility of being alone with Sasuke Uchiha. He was ridiculously tired, having stayed up the whole night before explaining requirements of a presentation to a wide and painfully awake Naruto.

"So…Sasuke." Sakura squeaked. They were walking down an empty hallway together. It was their freshmen year. He did not seem to hear her as he was nearly asleep on his feet. "Sasuke?" She tried again, glancing anxiously at him. "Yeah, so I've been wanting to talk to you about something for a while."

"Really? Well, I'm all-ears." He said, his eyes closing. Sakura stopped then, clutching her textbook to her chest and staring at the toes of Sasuke's shoes. He pulled up next to her, stifling a yawn. He began to wonder vaguely if Naruto was doing well with his presentation.

"Sasuke, I like you." Sakura said in a quiet voice.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto called from further down the hall, awkwardly holding a large display board. Sakura and Sasuke turned to him. Sakura's face was furious. The briefest of smiles passed over Sasuke's features. "Hi Sakura. Sasuke, are you busy right now?" Naruto asked as he sidled up to the pair. Sasuke did not look at Sakura before replying.

"No, not really, why?"

"Well, I need your help with something." Naruto said, already walking past them down the hall. Sasuke followed after, giving some snide remark.

"I can't believe you passed me up! For Naruto!" Sakura hisses, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"Yeah, I was never really into you." Sasuke murmurs without shame.

"I can see that now. But really, that blond idiot." She sighs, knowing she is fighting a lost battle. Sasuke only laughs wryly

"And if that were even true, what would you do about it?" Sasuke glances out the window to see she is pulling into a nearly empty fast-food place parking lot. As she idles in a space she faces Sasuke.

"I would only feel sorry for you. Now get out."

"Yeah… I don't live here." Sasuke says, looking around at the neighborhood. It is derelict and in shambles. Sakura scoffs, "I don't care. Ask him for a ride." She jerks her thumb in the direction of a familiar bike. 'Naruto. Of course, she's the devil.' Sasuke slips out of the car and she puts it in reverse. As she zooms off, Sasuke catches sight of the middle finger she flashes. "She has too much free time." The temperature seems to have dropped significantly during his ride over and Sasuke feels forced to walk toward the front door. As he begins to pull it open, he mumbles to himself, "I don't like him."

'Right?'


	3. Chapter 3

Typos...achieved

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, also, there are likely rape scenes. Once again, that is why it is under **Mature.**

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>'<em>Come here Naruto.' His voice was soothing, gentle. Tears slid down Naruto's slick face. He shook, pushing himself back into the corner of the room. "Naruto…" The man called again, he was out of sight. Naruto silently sobbed into the already soiled sheets wrapped around his pale, quavering legs. He hurt. He ached. He wanted to go home. <em>

'_Naruto!' The voice was no longer gentle and soothing, it was gruff and angry. More hot tears poured out of his eyes, moving down his cheeks to his bare chest. Large, invisible hands jostled the young Naruto, pulling him further and further away from the protection of the corner. His mouth was open to scream but no sound came out. Something covered it and his screams her drowned. Pain washed over him as he was fastened down, unable to move. _Stop. Stop! STOP!

'_Good job, Naruto. You're doing really well.' His deep voice resonated around Naruto's head, causing the pain to grow even greater. He had cried for so long no more tears were forthcoming. As the invisible man finished, pulling out noisily, Naruto felt the need to be sick. He glanced up from the bed, and, to his horror Sasuke's disgusted face stared back._

"No!" Naruto sits up abruptly, breathing heavily. His thin t-shirt clings to his wet chest as it rises and falls quickly. He tries to calm himself, but the same image of Sasuke staring with appalled terror burns itself into his mind. His golden hair is plastered to his hot forehead. He suddenly does not want to go back to sleep, not sure he can risk that dream happening again. 'It's been a while.' He thinks. Naruto stands, only to sit back down on his bed. His legs are shaking just as they did when he was eleven years old. He covers his face with his hands, breathing in the bitter smell of his own sweat.

A hot shower distracts his mind only for a little while. His breathing is even when he stumbles back into his room. He stands, stark naked in the middle of his room, glaring at the clock. It is only four a.m. The cool air of the room does not bother him. He counts off on his fingers the things he could do to pass the slow time. '1. Jerk off? Not possible after _that. _2. Eat? Not much of an appetite after _that. _3. Adventure Time? …Dear God, no.' He hisses under his breath in frustration. He slips on some loose sweatpants and a simple sweatshirt. It's not nearly enough but he leaves the house in these meager garments.

The air is crisp and moist, smelling of ozone. Naruto prays for the rain to come so he can soak in it. His jaw is clenched with anger at the sudden awakening of memories. A car passes by and Naruto pulls up his hood to discourage pedos. 'But why Sasuke? Why did he have to be there this time?'

He has tried to avoid the thought of _that, _ever since it happened six years ago. The shame of it still bothers him now. He wants love so much it hurts. He wants to feel the warmth of another without flinching away. When picturing someone else, someone to hold close, Sasuke comes to mind. His face burns just as it always does. 'How could I want to do _those _sorts of things…with Sasuke?' Naruto smirks at the idea. But as he lets the thought sink in, the more the urge to be with Sasuke grows.

Naruto has always distanced himself from him for a reason. The very idea of Sasuke knowing the truth as to why he quit soccer is enough to make Naruto shake with fear. Their friendship is already on the brink, that would only send it off, spiraling into the abyss.

Like most nights, Naruto finds himself at the darkened soccer field by the highway. Kids, mostly in their late teens are bouncing a ball around. Their laughter is loud. A small smile is growing on his face as he starts toward them, scaling a low fence.

"Guys look, it's Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naru, we thought you'd never show." The kids settle the ball and rush to embrace the newest arrival. Though it is completely dark, their eyes have grown accustomed to it and take in their mischievously excited faces.

"What are you all standing here for, let's play." Naruto says with a smile, not having to force it. The rest of the teens agree and spread out on the field. Though Naruto hasn't been on a registered soccer team for years and thought to do nothing with his time, he looks forward to the night. His movement is swift and fluid as he glides about the field. His hood has fallen, revealing his blond hair. Most of the people around are tan or black, but no one cares about that. They're all here for the game.

!

Sasuke finds it strange that he can't sleep. Slipping out of his house is easy enough, as it is just a quiet stroll out the front door. He isn't prepared however for the biting cold that greets him. Instead of shuffling back inside, he presses on. The neighborhood is dark with sleep and a crisp breeze rolls down the empty streets. Puffs of hot breath create trails of clouds that hang in the air behind him. The roar of the highway gets louder as he strides along. Sasuke's face is stinging from the low temperature but he pushes on, toward what, he's not entirely sure. Soft rock pours into his ears as he moves along the road, he pounds his head to the beat, trying to forget coming home earlier today.

"Sasuke!" His mother had cried, her voice high with anxiety and anger. Sasuke stiffened then, pressing his weighty backpack to the front door. He did not even force a smile when she ran to embrace him. "Where have you been?" She murmured warmly into his neck, causing him to shiver at the sudden closeness. Gingerly, he pried her fingers away and looked down at her. He rejoiced in his height difference. Sasuke was still shorter than Itachi but towered over his mother and had something to taunt Naruto with. When Sasuke did not answer her question, she answered for him. "Naruto." She said that with a soft light in her dark eyes and faint smile on her lips. Sasuke noticed that. The two moved away from the door just as it began to open. Itachi stumbled into the house, shivering dramatically with cold. He looked up at the pair with no amount of measurable interest.

"So I hear you're gay." He murmured in a monotone, pulling down the white earbuds from his ear, heavy metal blaring out of them. Sasuke glared at him, unable to let himself look at his mother.

"Who for? Naruto?" Mikoto Uchiha asked, her small smile having grown to a full fledged one. There was a flicker of amusement across Itachi's face before he climbed the stairs

"Jesus…Mom, no." Sasuke muttered. He was grateful for the ease with which she took the news. Maybe she had always known, like Naruto. It was his father's imminent disapproval that worried him.

'No…right?' Sasuke is still confused even as he walks further away from his house. He pauses momentarily in front of Naruto's place. Not a light is on, even the porch is dark. Sasuke moves on, the icy air beginning to nip menacingly at him. He feels bad about earlier. He should not have yelled at him, not his only friend. But the anger overpowers the guilt and he reels at the memory of Naruto's adamant probing gaze. 'Those eyes are too blue.'

"Pass! Naruto, over here!" A voice calls from an empty, darkened field. Sasuke turns to peer into the black, making out the quickly moving figures. In a patch of orange light from the street lamps, Sasuke catches a glimpse of blond hair. He is pulling himself over the chain-link fence before he can stop himself. 'That can't be…No…' Sasuke's face is a mask of uncomprehending dismay as he nears the field. It is actually full of young people. They pass a battered ball quickly amongst themselves. Sasuke pays no attention as he scans the ground for his best friend. Naruto's maniacal laughter echoes and Sasuke sees him. The last time Sasuke saw Naruto play soccer was six years before. He still remembers the day eerily well.

The game was a tie and full of energy. Rain poured down endlessly, it had for days, causing the field to be muddy and slick. They were in an all-city tournament, racing to claim the winning trophy. The boys had been playing together for years and their skills were finely tuned, yet not perfect, the boys were only eleven. Naruto, being fast was placed in the front with another boy. They passed the ball around perfectly, could practically dance circles around the defenders on other teams. But that day their opponents were just as good and Naruto relied heavily on his midfielder, Sasuke.

Something was off with Naruto, losing control of the ball and himself easily. At one point, he had been tripped to the ground. Instead of walking it off, he lunged for the other player, screaming for blood. Sasuke had never seen that much rage in Naruto and was terrified. The boy receiving the attack was huge and fought back, kicking and slapping out at Naruto. Coaches sprinted onto the field, other players gathered nearby to watch. Sasuke had reached in to help pull Naruto away. As he did, he felt his close friend shaking with sobs. His salty tears mixed with the rain and coursed down his young face.

As Naruto looked into his face, Sasuke had felt a sort of coldness grow inside him. The look of pure sorrow he gave him would never leave Sasuke's memories. Though Sasuke wanted to say many consoling and caring things, the urge to conform with the other solemn onlookers was greater and he let go of Naruto's wet jersey. His blue eyes darkened and he stared at his friend as the coach moved up behind him. As the coach's pale, bony hands touched Naruto's quaking shoulders, Sasuke saw him freeze.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! NO ONE TOUCH ME!" He wailed, leaping away from the coach's hold. No one said anything and stared at Naruto like he was crazy. Hating himself for it later on, Sasuke simply glared as well. "Don't touch me. No one touch me." He repeated, looking around the tight crowd of sodden coaches and players. He squeezed his way free of the ring and ran from the field, ran from Sasuke.

Now, here he is, a smile on his face as he moves seamlessly across the field, dribbling past other players who laugh as well. The same sadness from that cold, wet day comes back to Sasuke. Someone, a boy detaches himself from the players and stops to look at Sasuke.

"Who are you?" He asks in a harsh tone. The other players have stopped to survey the newest arrival. Sasuke's face is a guise of irritation. His hands are shoved far into his hoodie's pocket.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto asks in a horrified voice.

"Got room for one more?" Sasuke demands, looking pointedly away from Naruto. The players are talking quickly amongst themselves, knowing the name.

"Isn't he that hom—"

"Yeah," The boy from before interrupts, smiling. "We've always got room for more. You'll be on my team." Sasuke nods, noticing it is the opposite team from Naruto. 'That lying bastard is gonna learn his lesson.'

Sasuke plays harder than he has in a long while, but Naruto gives him a run for his money. The two sit next to each other in the group of other young people. The others are breathing heavily, gazing at the pair in awe.

"I knew Naruto was good but…damn." The group bursts into laughter. Sasuke is still angry and flashes a look toward the topic of discussion. His face is sheepish and he stares at the ground. "We should get going, school starts in a few hours." One says, causing the group to groan automatically. All but Sasuke and Naruto begin to stand and trickle away. As the last leaves he smiles down at Sasuke.

"You can definitely come back again, Naruto needs to learn his place." He murmurs, laughing. The other two neither laugh nor complain about his comment and he shrugs and walks away.

"So, what are you doing here?" Naruto says because if neither of them talk, it will make him feel uncomfortable.

"Naruto, what the hell is going on?" Sasuke hisses. "You play like you never stopped." His voice remains calm which scares Naruto all the more. "Why'd you leave me there." He adds in a low voice. Naruto says nothing for a long moment, massaging the blue stoned necklace he has always seemed to wear. It keeps catching the light and flashing in Sasuke's eyes. He knows Naruto only touches the thing when he's really upset. His face is as unreadable as the ocean and Sasuke hates it.

"I left you…" Naruto echoes, his voice wandering with his thoughts. "Yeah…" Naruto pushes away from the wet ground. He holds out a warm hand for Sasuke. He takes it without hesitation and is on his feet. "I'm going back home, you wanna come over?" His question is harmless and he has that same far-off look in his eyes.

"Yes." Sasuke asks firmly, causing Naruto to glance at him.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry about the soccer thing. I can't tell you." Naruto's voice is thick with an intense sadness. Sasuke merely shrugs, his anger from before seeming melodramatic. The two walk in silence and Sasuke is satisfied with that. He moves behind Naruto, who is humming a contagious tune. He joins him, but whistling instead. They create a perfect duet.

?

They arrive late for school, Naruto pumping his legs fast on the bike and Sasuke sitting on the front. They did this when they were younger. It does not work well for two junior boys. Sasuke leaps off to jog on the grass in front of the wing of the school, where his first class is. Naruto passes by, waving but not looking back. Sasuke watches after him, a thoughtful expression on his face. As Sasuke moves up toward the building, Naruto glances back at him. 'I should tell him.' Naruto propels the bike toward the front door of the school. The last bell is ringing and Naruto hastily fastens the bike to the already full rack. The last thing he needs is another tardy.

His class is full of starry-eyed girls. They peek back at the door as Naruto slips into his ceramics class. He hates the class, the feeling of the grimy clay under his nails only makes him feel more paranoid. As do the burning gazes of the girls in the class. The teacher is a young, possibly gay guy with the name of Umino. He wears his brown hair tied up in a high ponytail and likes to be called, Iruka. Naruto takes his seat in the front, dropping his backpack to the ground beside him. Iruka looks up from pot he his spinning now, an amused look on his face.

"Create." Iruka murmurs his cheesy morning greeting dreamily. Naruto resists the urge to laugh, but he respects Iruka. Even if he is a pussy {I say that with love}.

Naruto passes the period with his blond head on the desk. The wet clay on its surface has dried to his face but does not notice. As the bell rings, signaling the next period, Iruka does not move to alert him. The girls leisurely make their ways out of the classroom, watching Naruto snooze on the desk. They giggle amongst themselves.

"Naruto." Sasuke pokes Naruto's shoulder. Nothing happens. Sasuke watches him for a moment. He takes in the fluttering eyelids and the moment of the eyebrows. Light glints off something off the corner of Naruto's left eye and Sasuke is shocked to see it's a tear.

'What?' Naruto is beginning to stir and pries his face from the desk.

"Ow," Naruto murmurs, massaging his cheek. "What the hell? Sasuke?" Sasuke is still staring at the tear on Naruto's face. It is trickling downward and Naruto feels it. He wipes it away without missing a beat. Sasuke still watches him intently as Naruto begins to move from the room. Sasuke grips his forearm, causing Naruto to tense. "Come on, Sasuke, I've got a class to get to."

"Bullshit. What's going on with you? Soccer, crying, sleeping in class. Last time I checked, you were a good student." Sasuke hisses, looking over at Naruto.

"Last time I checked, you didn't give a shit about me or what I did with my free time." Naruto tries to tug his arm free but Sasuke has a firm grip.

"I do care, idiot." Sasuke says, looking away. Naruto momentarily softens and peeks at Sasuke. He can't help but notice the faintest blush on Sasuke's cheeks. 'Shit, he's looking.' "Go." Sasuke snaps.

"Can't if you're holding my arm." Naruto whispers. Sasuke slowly loosens his hold, the skin of his thin fingers seeming to trail along Naruto's warm skin. They both notice and flash looks at each other instantly.

"Naruto, what are you still doing here?" Iruka asks, looking up from the spinning wheel. Naruto shrugs and moves toward the door.

"Naruto," Sasuke calls, not looking back at him.

"Yeah?" Naruto answers to the door.

"You have dried clay on your face."

?

Naruto cannot get the fleeting feeling of Sasuke's cool fingers out of his head. He remembers the gentle tone Sasuke used when confirming that he did in fact care. The sight of Sasuke's cheeks flushed a soft pink still remains fresh in his mind. He doesn't want that memory to go away. He is struck by the sudden urge to be at Sasuke's side, possibly touching his smooth cheeks. If he were there he'd lean in closer, close enough to kiss. He would smile sheepishly at the embarrassed face Sasuke would likely be making. He would try to pull away, but do it in such a way that would show he really wanted to stay. Naruto's face would burn from the proximity and his heart would practically beat out of his chest. He would lean ever so closer and….and?

His mind always draws up a blank there. He hisses out a low sigh, eliciting an intrigued look from his desk partner. She has long blue hair and a pencil tucked up behind an ear. Their class –European History— is dull and boring.

"Robespierre's fixation on the cult of the Supreme Being was what eventually sent him to the guillotine himself." A dull documentary voice drones. A scene of a guillotine, glistening with chilling, fake blood fills the scene. Most of the class laughs at the historians' attempt to frighten the students.

"So…what's wrong with you?" Sakura asks, pressing her side to his. Naruto simply glares at her, his look stating something along the lines of fuck-off. "Does it have anything to do with Sasuke?" Her black, ball-point pen is ready to go, tapping on a fresh page of her notebook. Naruto says nothing and glances uninterestedly at his own page. While others' notebooks are marked up with helpful notes on the French Revolution, Naruto's is empty. All except the faint pencil tracings of Sasuke's name. 'Embarrassing.' As he moves to erase it, Sakura's hand flies out of nowhere, whipping the notebook away.

"Hey!" Naruto cries, reaching for it. The teacher looks up from her desk menacingly, silencing Naruto. "Give it back." He hisses. Sakura merely chuckles and pages through it. Naruto is tense, trying to remember if he has anything self-incriminating within the pages. All he can recall is writing his name in a variety of different fonts, some choice words for how bored he was, and possibly writing Sasuke's name into the book. Those were mainly done out of poorly suppressed anger.

"Ha. Just as I thought." Sakura murmurs, passing the book back, a knowing look on her face. Naruto sees the look and forces himself to ignore it. 'She'll likely do something rash anyway…' And that she does. With Naruto passing on school again the next day it is Sasuke who is left to deal with the shit-storm coming their way.

?

"You could choose any guy, Sasuke. But really? Naruto Uzumaki? I mean he's hot and all but…" The girl's voice fades away as Sasuke takes in what she has just said. It is too early in the morning for deep thought processing and he lunges for the school newspaper on the desk before her. She squeals in delight despite herself. The article is hard to notice at first, as it is small and remains in the corner. 'Sakura's Gossip Corner. Shit.' Sasuke skims the paragraph, his face reddening.

"I'm going to kill that girl. Where the fuck is she?" Sasuke says in a murderous tone, standing. Class is about to begin but Sasuke needs to find two people, he has some knife sharpening to do.

Naruto opens the door slowly, surprised and scared to see a seething Sasuke. 'He seems to be showing up here a lot more often than usual.'

"What the **fuck **is this?" Sasuke yells, throwing a flash of white at Naruto's chest. It catches the air and flutters to the ground, the thick smell of printing ink permeating the air. Naruto kneels to pick it up.

"You came all the way from school to show me this?"

"There." Sasuke's finger points at the paragraph, it is shaking with rage. Naruto sees the title and raises an eyebrow at him. Sasuke's face is red, but with embarrassment or anger, Naruto is not sure. Sarcastically, he sighs and begins to read the passage.

"_In today's world, "coming out" is a tough business, but someone must be put in charge of it. I take that job upon my self. I pride myself on revealing a person's true self to themselves and the world around them. If they embrace their imminent lifestyle sooner rather than later, their lives will flow by swimmingly. _

_Sasuke Uchiha, junior, recently revealed his sexuality to his peers and family. The community has taken to it kindly and supportively. So kindly in fact that Sasuke has already snatched himself up a boyfriend. Prepare yourselves ladies, as the man in question may just in fact break your hearts. His true love, likely life-partner is none other than Naruto Uzumaki, junior. _

_Please hold on to yourselves before you reach for a tissue nearby. Naruto is very much in love with Sasuke, his words tell it all. "Yeah...it's been on for a long while now." He told me sheepishly, scribbling his lover's name into his notebook. When I asked who initiated their star-crossed romance, he replied with admiration twinkling in his eyes, "Sasuke. He was so...romantic about the whole thing really. Just the thought of it now..." Naruto was unable to finish the interview due to personal reasons. _

_With this budding romance blooming under our watchful eyes, will more homosexual relationships spring up as well? And if so, is that as wrong as it is rumored? And, as always, _

_Snoop and snitch, Sakura Haruno." _

Naruto's face is as mortified as Sasuke's, if not more. He tries to think back on telling Sakura anything important. 'Shit…the notebook. This is libel, I swear to god.' A sneeze comes out of nowhere and Naruto twists to avoid spraying Sasuke.

"Sorry. Come inside." Naruto moves to the side, making an opening Sasuke to pass through. He does not and frowns harshly at Naruto.

"Sorry about what? Saying this shit?" Sasuke's tone is angry but the volume level remains low.

"No, I never said this. She's misquoting me."

"That means you must have said something about it in the first place."

"I never said anything. Sasuke, I swear." Naruto is seriously gripping the door. This new Sasuke, one billowing with anger is a different one, a scary one. Originally, he would never get so worked up about lies like this. "And if I did, I would obviously initiate it. You would never…" Naruto trails off, realizing that what he's said is not light and humorous. Sasuke's eyes are earnest and stare into Naruto's. 'Huh?'

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke says in a near whisper.

"What?" Naruto doesn't hear him.

"I said shut up and move over, it's cold as fuck out here." Sasuke pushes past Naruto, the cool fabric of his sweatshirt brushing against Naruto's feverish skin. After he closes the door the two remain silent, avoiding each other's gaze.

"Sasuke," Naruto says quietly. Sasuke looks up quickly, the anger in his eyes has dimmed. "Are you pissed because it's me? I mean, if it were anyone else you wouldn't be acting like this."

"This?"

"We being honest?" Naruto asks, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips.

"Yeah…"

"Well, you're kind of acting like a whiny bitch. It's only Sakura Haruno. The Sasuke I know would not let her get under his skin with this shittily written article." Naruto waves it in the air, making a point. "Forget about her and this. Then we can go back to the way things were, you ignoring me and me ignoring you." Naruto says this with a bit of harshness Sasuke notes.

"Yeah…but…" Sasuke trails off. "What if I don't want it to go back to what it was?" He says in a near whisper. Naruto snorts, morphing into a violent fit of coughing. His coughing changes to hysterical laughter, verging on crazed. A wry look grows on his face, causing Sasuke to frown.

"What?"

"Sasuke, I have an idea. It involves some NaruSasu action and getting Sakura back." Naruto grins. 'NaruSasu, I like the sound of that.'

"What's NaruSasu?" Sasuke asks wearily.


	4. Chapter 4

So...I'm anxiously waiting for snow...and break so I can sleep some more.

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, and love~

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so she's sitting at that table in the far left corner." Naruto says in a loud whisper into Sasuke's ear, startling him. The chocolate milk he was guiltily enjoying slips from his grasp. Naruto catches it just in time and sets it back in Sasuke's hand. Naruto takes a seat at the empty table, staring distractedly toward her table. His clothing, consisting of mainly dark fabrics, rustles noticeably as he rocks back and forth on the chair. Sasuke, who had been reading a textbook with fierce concentration struggles to find his place again. Naruto glances at him for the first time, taking in the frumpy clothing and glasses. 'Glasses?' Naruto reaches for them, causing Sasuke to shy away.<p>

"What the hell?"

"Have you always had glasses?" Naruto asks, still reaching for the thickly framed specs.

"Itachi…my contacts…ruined." Sasuke answers between Naruto's jovial lunges.

"So, he's stealing contacts now. Why am I not surprised?" Naruto murmurs sarcastically. Sasuke frowns, a smile threatening to make an appearance. As the blond keeps outstretching his fingers like a child, Sasuke gives up, pulling the lenses off finally. Naruto grips them tightly, surveying the glasses with great interest. Large hands appear in front of Naruto's face, attempting to flip the glasses from his hold. But Naruto, who was not even expecting this failed aim at bullying holds onto them tightly. He looks up at the boy and his crowd of suddenly uneasy predators, no apparent interest on his face.

"Can I help you boys?" Naruto asks, setting the glasses down on the table. He stands, his height much shorter than theirs but he doesn't care. The lead boy wears a green rain jacket declaring him to be Evans, number thirteen. He plays on the basketball team. He glances around at his comrades, who grin back encouragingly and he sneers down at Naruto.

"Oh, standing up for your girlfriend are you? What a great boyfriend of you. Or are you the girl in your situation? I'm not sure…" He's getting back his mojo and Naruto's eyes are narrowing. Sasuke lazily gets to his feet, stretching his hands over his head.

"Shut the fuck up Evans. Don't you remember how Naruto and I kicked your ass in preschool, elementary school…" He is counting off on his fingers, looking to Naruto for assistance.

"Don't forget that time in middle school when we stopped you from sneaking into the girl's locker room." Naruto says, smiling at the memory.

Sasuke and Naruto were going through their punk rock phase. Their words were punctuated by unnecessary swear words and obvious innuendos. School was over, the students had already "gotten the hell outta there," but Sasuke had an upcoming soccer practice and Naruto wanted to hang out with him. Naruto carried most of the conversation, talking endlessly about his future dream of how he wanted to, "break down this totalitarian government and stick it to the man." Big aspirations for anyone, especially a twelve year old. Naruto's sudden insightful opinion had been awakened by watching_ School of Rock _the previous night.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto had caught sight of a younger Evans sauntering easily down the hallway. Naruto reached out and gripped the back of Sasuke's dark blue sweatshirt. He said nothing but merely pointed at Evans. By then he was beginning to slowly open the dark green door. The boy glanced around, making sure no one was watching, that was when he saw the two.

At that time, Sasuke and Naruto were seen as the badass studs of the small middle school. It was rumored Sasuke had lost his virginity at the age of eleven to a Scandinavian super model and Naruto had a large tattoo on his back of the angel of death. They were heroes in the eyes of girls and enemies of their fellow male peers. The pair had no idea where all these crazy ideas came from.

"Evans, you fucking perv!" Naruto yelled in his loud voice, feeling exhilarated by the use of a taboo word. He was already sprinting toward the boy, Sasuke at his side. The rest was history from there.

Evans face is red as he remembers too. His buds look confused and are convinced Sasuke and Naruto are lying. He turns away from them, shame written across his face. Naruto sighs dejectedly as the boys scurry away, their uniform jackets all moving loudly together.

"Damn, I wanted to have another go at him." Naruto murmurs.

"Yeah…me too." Sasuke agrees thoughtlessly. Naruto grins at him for a brief moment. He glimpses the shining watch on Sasuke's wrist and pulls it up toward his face. Sasuke doesn't even resist, instead, with his other arm he begins to gather up his belongings.

"Shit, lunch is almost over. If we don't start now, the NaruSasu plan won't work." Naruto looks over toward Sakura's table now. It is crowded with girls, some glancing their way.

"Could you stop calling it that, geez."

"What? You want me to start calling it the NaruSasuSaku plan? That is just a mouthful and slightly distasteful." Naruto frowns, thinking. Sasuke stares at him. He has not seen Naruto this animated in a long while. It reminds him of the old days, the days when everything seemed perfect.

"But, I don't particularly want to flirt with Sakura." Sasuke says, his tone nearing a whine. Naruto rolls his eyes and releases his wrist.

"Sasuke, it's not real, and I'll be doing it too. We won't leave that girl's side, we'll fawn over her to no end. It'll piss her off so much that she'll just have to renounce the article. It'll be any girl's dream harem." Naruto says, his eyes bright with a cunning light.

"Wow. So…you're still….reading shoujo are you?" Sasuke can't help but taunt. Naruto groans and tugs on Sasuke's gray sweatshirt.

"C'mon, let's do this."

"Fine." Sasuke hisses, jerking his arm away from Naruto. He pulls a strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

The table of girls instantly silences as they stop next to it. Everyone except Sakura is looking distinctly at the ground or something or other. Sasuke affects a smooth smile, showing his white teeth.

"Sakura, can we talk?" His voice is a lower tone, one that causes all the girls to look up at him. Even Naruto is shocked by Sasuke's sudden change of character. Sakura is raising her eyebrows. She lifts a napkin to her blue-painted lips. She nods and pushes away from the table. Naruto squeezes out of her way as she passes. He watches Sasuke and Sakura sidle away, Sakura's face already soft. He takes her seat and none of the girls look at him. He's okay with this and joins them in watching Sasuke.

"God, he's so hot."

"No, beautiful."

"Pity he's gay." Once a girl murmurs this, they all glare back at Naruto. He looks questioningly back at them.

"What? I know you're begging to ask questions, so ask."

"Is Sasuke gay? He doesn't seem like it."

"How often does he shower?"

"Is he a boxers or briefs kind of guy?"

"What does he like to eat?"

"What's his orgasm face?"

"How awesome are his abs?" The girls barrel down on him, their voices are still filled with anger. Anger at the boy who supposedly took their Sasuke away. Naruto pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts. He leans back in his chair, it screeches under him, threatening to give out any moment.

"He actually showers less often than you would think, less than me. I'm pretty sure boxers, but I don't know how he can handle all that loosey-goosey nonsense down there. He eats basically nothing, which really pisses me off. I'm not sure about his sexuality and his abs are nonexistent." Naruto answers in one breath, the girls' eyes are wide with shock. "And, as to the orgasm thing, how the hell should I know?"

"You're going out with him aren't you?" They all seem to ask at once. Naruto simply shakes his head.

"Not that I can recall. We're just friends."

"But you want to." They say with so much confidence it almost scares Naruto. He looks toward Sasuke and Sakura. She is already blushing, Sasuke smiling widely. 'Wow, that bastard is good.' Sakura pushes a lock of blue hair behind her hair and Sasuke reaches out to touch it. He murmurs something and Sakura laughs loudly in spite of herself. Naruto feels a twinge in his gut, but of what he's not sure. Sasuke glances back at Naruto, his face screaming out for help. He smiles back at him and shrugs. Naruto walks away from the table, the girls crying out for more information.

"Hey guys, mind if I butt in here?" Naruto asks the rhetorical question. Sakura rolls her eyes at him.

"Actually…yes, I do mind." Sasuke says, his tone serious. Naruto glares at him. He loops his arms over Sakura's shoulders, causing her to tense. "What are you…" She begins, but stops, seeing the smile Naruto is flashing her way.

"Sakura and I have the same class next. I thought I'd walk her there." Naruto says in a smooth voice. Sasuke's face remains a blank mask.

"She'll never like you. If you fail to remember, it was me she always had a crush on." Sasuke murmurs haughtily. Naruto glances down at the glasses Sasuke has gripped in his hands then his almost superior expression. 'Hmmm, this seems to be becoming a competition. I can win this.' A grin growing on his face, Naruto reaches for Sakura's cheek opposite him. Her eyes are widening with anger.

"Naruto, what the fuck are you do—" She is silenced by a kiss on the lips by Naruto. Sasuke's face seems to drain of blood and the nearby table of girls gasp audibly. Naruto pulls away eagerly. He hides his distaste with a cocky smirk. He touches the straps of his backpack then raises him arms to air in victory.

"What now?" He asks Sasuke, winking before slipping out of the cafeteria.

?

Sasuke is surprised to see his father's car parked in the lot in front of the school. Its sleek, black surface scares Sasuke but he nears it anyway. He pulls the earbuds from his ears, letting them dangle from the collar of his crewneck sweatshirt. He clicks the door open and slides in, setting his backpack on the floor before him. Stealing a glance at his father, he isn't disappointed, he is greeted by what he wants to see. Fugaku Uchiha wears his usual look of suppressed irritation. He moves the car into drive, shifting the gears roughly. By the clanging of the car, Sasuke can tell he is angry. 'Well…shit.'

"I had a very unpleasant phone call with your coach today." Fugaku says quickly. Sasuke looks at him quickly, not sure what should bother him more, the fact that he talked with his coach or is intentionally avoiding the elephant in the car. Sasuke gives a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement, glancing out the window. "He says you started a fight on the field."

"Did he tell you why?"

"I don't think you understand that you started a fight. A fight that is sure to disgrace the family." Sasuke rolls his eyes, keeping his eyes focused outside as if searching for something. And, soon enough, Sasuke spots him. Naruto is biking down the sidewalk, bobbing his head to the music he listens to. Sasuke begins to wave but stops, remembering the windows are darkened. "And just look at you, dressed like…like….Itachi." His father spits, gesturing toward Sasuke. "I told you not to follow in his path. But here you are, starting pointless fights."

"It's not pointless, Dad!" Sasuke yells before he can stop himself. Fugaku slams on the break, causing cars behind them to honk. He veers into a nondescript driveway, staring pointedly at the white garage door before him. The silence is thick, almost ringing in Sasuke's ears. They remain like that, not talking, Sasuke trying to glare out answers our of his father. The minutes pass and in a flash of dark, Naruto bikes past, seemingly without a care in the world. Something inside Sasuke snaps and he pushes the car door open. His father doesn't even glance his way. Sasuke moves quickly to the end of the driveway, watching Naruto begin to pedal further away. He wants to call out to him, to grasp his wavering attention, but Sasuke knows his attempts would be fruitless.

It's later that night, nearing the midnight mark that Sasuke finds himself hopelessly skimming the photos of everyone he knows. He hates the social network with the blue banner, feeling as though a part of him dies each time he logs on, but tonight he cannot help it. He types Naruto's name into the search bar, pulling up his profile. The main picture is of Naruto flashing his middle finger menacingly at the camera. His other hand pulls down the eyelid of his left eye, a stud glints on his left ear. Sasuke clicks to view more.

The images start from when he was younger, his smile greater and brighter. As the years pass, Naruto's hair seems to dim, just as his blue eyes do. Sasuke mercilessly taps for more and more photos, wanting to lose himself in Naruto's life. One picture gives Sasuke pause.

The scene is late afternoon. The sky is colored salmon in the background, faint gray clouds dot the horizon. It is a beach and Naruto's crouched figure sits on its roughly pebbled surface. Naruto stares out into the dark water, scanning the skyline, spotted by large, dark green islands. He wears a faint orange raincoat, faded with age. Under it a dark hood covers Naruto's head. He looks lost, his mouth open slightly. This picture was snapped at the precise moment, taken without a second thought. Sasuke is taken by how calm Naruto seems. His placid outer appearance no way resembles his tumultuous thoughts inside.

Sasuke snaps out of the website, falling back into his soft bed. He sighs out heavily, remembering Naruto kissing Sakura.

"Why would he do that?" He mutters, running his hand down his face. His breathing is even, his heartbeat quickening at the image of Naruto's lips. He hisses, but his imaginings go on. The lips are soft, moist, and slightly parted. His touch on Sasuke's face is gentle, so smooth and sweet. The tips of his blond hair tickle Sasuke, the scent of his shampoo is faint but seems to be all Sasuke can smell. Naruto's hands travel down from his face, slipping their way under the fringe of Sasuke's thin shirt.

Sasuke sits up instantly, his breathing no longer smooth, but rather haggard instead. He groans in irritation and looks at the clock on the table across from his bed. A mere four minutes have passed since the last time he looked. He almost wants to go out into the cold winter night to look for Naruto but he doesn't.

His bed vibrates from the shaking of his phone He gropes blindly for it, the tips of his fingers brushing against its cool surface. Sasuke pulls it to his face and sees an unknown number. He skims the text from the person, letting his cheeks fill with boredom and air.

"yeah so...what was up with u and naruto today?" Sasuke cringes at the grammar and lack of capitalizations. 'Naruto said to only charm her at school. Sakura is not barging her way into my house.' Sasuke holds the power button, listening to the cheery little jingle with out regret. The room is dark again, the only sound the coaxing ticking of his clock. He empties his thoughts, "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" tinkling in the back of his mind.

!

_Naruto's face is pressed to the icy window the following morning. His breath clouds the window and he quickly wipes it away. He is seven years old again. He is innocent still and his only hope is for snow. The outside world is blanketed in white, a layer so thin the green blades of grass still poke out, but snow all the same. His eyes are bright with joy and elation as he stands on his bed, aching to see the winter wonderland outside. _

_Kushina Uzumaki slowly opens the door to the room, her cheeks pink. Her hair, a deep plum color, is pulled up in a loose bun. She smiles widely down at her son, her violet eyes twinkling at his pure joy. _

"_Snow!" He yells, pointing eagerly at the window. Kushina simply nods and slowly approaches the bed. _

"_Sasuke and his mom are here. I let you sleep in but he wants to se—" Naruto leaps from the bed and sprints out of the room. Sasuke stands stiffly by the front door next to his mother. _

"_SASUKE!" Young Naruto screams at a bone-shattering volume. Sasuke's eyes widen in fear as Naruto barrels down on him, wrapping his arms around his waist. "It's snowing! Did you see? Did you?"_

"_Um…yeah…" Sasuke squirms in Naruto's iron grip, trying to wriggle himself free. Naruto goes on laughing, not aware of the torture he's causing. Sasuke gives up. "It's not snowing right now. I stopped a while ago." He attempts to sound mature and not show the same childish excitement Naruto is displaying. Their mother's smile warmly down at their sons. _

"_Want some tea?" Kushina asks Mikoto. She nods and the two move toward the kitchen, Sasuke watching with a pleading look in his eyes. _

"_I want hot chocolate!" Naruto demands. _

"_Naruto, we've been working on mann—"_

"_HOT CHOCOLATE!" Naruto releases Sasuke, rushing to a nearby window. Sasuke has a deflated look on his face as he feels the warmth on his arms that Naruto created._

"_Jesus, that kid is crazy." Kushina mutters. Naruto smushes his face against the window, his eyes peeled on the gray sky as he waits for more white flakes of goodness to come floating down. Naruto's hand shoots out and grips Sasuke forearm, dragging him to the window._

"_Shou shee phat?" (You see that?) Naruto exclaims in a high-pitched voice as he catches a glimpse of a snowflake, his face still firmly pressed against the window pane._

"_Ooph my gotsh!" (Oh my gosh!) Sasuke whispers, loosing any grasp he had on that coolness from before. The boys begin to squeal and dance about. Naruto twists the knob of the front door and runs out, followed by Sasuke._

"_Naruto! You're still wearing your pajamas!" Kushina yells after him, moving toward the front door quickly. "Idiot boy." She mutters under her breath. _

Naruto's eyes slowly open, his mother's voice still ringing in his head. Instinctively, he peeks out the window beside his bed. Not a single white flake coats the ground. He pouts like a child and the banging of bowls and spoons makes him freeze. 'Mom? Dad?' He leaps from the bed like he did as a child. He rushes down the hall, only stop when he sees the huge mass of white hair. 'Jiraiya, that old perv.'

"Where's dad?" Naruto murmurs, his shoulders bent with disappointment.

"Working." Jiraiya murmurs back, not looking up from his bowl of cereal. Naruto is angry but he says nothing more and disappears back down the hall.

After his shower, Naruto brushes his teeth violently. Mostly out of anger at his missing parents but also for safety. He wants to rid himself of Sakura's germs. He still has no idea why he kissed her. It could have had to do with the crush he had on her when he was younger. He shakes his head at that one, knowing it's not true. He doesn't want to acknowledge that it was all a show, one for Sasuke. He scrubs his blond hair hard with a towel, trying to squeeze the water out of it. He is partially angry at himself for kissing Sakura, but then again, the look on Sasuke's face was priceless. It was a spur of the moment type of thing. He hated seeing Sakura enjoying herself so much with Sasuke. 'Who the hell did she think she was?' He strides from the steamy bathroom to his room. It is cold in here, the shower water on his still pink skin cooling. He falls back onto his bed, pulling on a pair of suspect boxer/briefs. His stomach rumbles loudly but he pays it no mind. There is no way he's going back into that kitchen. If he were to, it'd be likely Jiraiya would still be eating cereal and reading pornographic novels.

All Naruto wants is to be with Sasuke. Even if that means receiving ill-mannered, sarcastic remarks, he'd rather that than laying on his bed all of a Saturday morning. The tips of his darkened hair are suddenly cold and almost sting his brow.

"Where Is My Mind" by the _Pixies _plays eerily in the icy room and Naruto sits up, glancing around for his phone. There is no sign of it, he hasn't seen the thing for days but the ominous ringtone plays on, echoing in his early morning brain.

"Motherfuckingpieceofshit." Naruto hisses under his breath as he slides down from his bed to the darkly carpeted floor. He does not even search hard for the black device. He merely glances from side to side. Whoever is calling isn't giving up as they let the phone continue to ring. Naruto sluggishly rolls onto his bare stomach and stares into darkness under his bed. He remembers the times when he was young and that darkness seemed to go on forever. The face of his cell phone is bright, singling its location. Naruto squeezes himself under the bed, his bare back hard against the frame of the bed. For one frightening moment, he's afraid he'll get stuck. But the moment passes and Naruto squirms even further into the dusty crawlspace under his bed. With a hint of nostalgia, he misses when he could fit under here. When he would hide from his mother just to play with her, which would ultimately end up with her irritated and calling out his name. His hand surrounds the phone just as it goes to voicemail. Naruto tries to wriggle back out when the phone rings again.

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice says hurriedly into the phone.

"Yeah?" Naruto says breathily, resolving to just not fight his way out from under the bed. He groans once he realizes he actually is stuck. "Damn."

"What? Where are you?"

"Under my bed."

"…Why?"

"No reason, why'd you call?" Naruto asks, trying to even out his breathing, not wanting to panic.

"Okay, anyway. I need you," Naruto can't help but think Sasuke's voice has a husky tone to it. "Yeah, I need you to get over here, now."

"Now?"

"Now." There is muffling on the other line like Sasuke tries to cover the receiver. "Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." More shuffling ensues then Naruto can hear Sasuke's anxious breathing on the other line. "Sakura's here."

"How does she know where you live?"

"I don't know!" Sasuke whispers back hysterically. "She's here. On my bed and I think she wants to get it on with me or something. Naruto, get your ass over here now."

"Sounds terrifying. I'll try to make my way over."

"Don't try. Just do it! I'm here, cowering in my bathroom right now and I don't want to leave." Sasuke says, his voice sounding almost close to tears. Naruto cannot help but laugh loudly into the phone, he can only imagine the scowl Sasuke is making.

"I'll be there in ten." Naruto confirms. Sasuke hangs up and Naruto does as well. He glances around his tight surroundings. 'Now how to get out of here…'

* * *

><p>What's with all the guys saying something along the lines of, "I really like your hair." Then adding quickly to that, "no homo." What's with that? By saying they like that guy's hair, are they really saying, "I wanna rape you MUAHAHA" or something? *sigh* The male youth of today, ;D. Just people today...<p>

Currenty listening to..._We Are Young ~ _Fun.


	5. Chapter 5

Yeah, I've given up on my dream for a "White Christmas." I'll settle for a rainy one any day. *wink*

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, and love~

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>It takes at least ten minutes for Naruto to actually free himself from the bed, and another four to catch his breath. He's almost tempted to show up at Sasuke's place in just his underwear. He can imagine the eyes rolling and Sasuke simply leaving the door open for him. After staring into his dark closet, Naruto yanks a black and orange checkered flannel shirt out of it. He buttons it up, the buttons not even but he doesn't care. Crumbled jeans make him smile and he hops into them. He slips into a pair of shoes and stumbles out into the hallway, dragging an orange hoodie along behind him. Naruto reaches the end of the hall, only to reel back around, leaping over his jacket.<p>

In his room his phone is vibrating with a text from Sasuke. He does not even read it, knowing the angry message he will receive. He scoops down to grasp it and slides the phone down into his pocket. Naruto is happy Sasuke needs him. He has not been needed in a while.

"I'm going out." Naruto murmurs to Jiraiya with his hand on the front door knob.

"Where to?" Jiraiya flips a page of the novel he's reading, not even glancing back at Naruto.

"Just out." Naruto dodges, beginning to twist the door knob. Part of him wants to stay and be with his childhood mentor, Jiraiya, the man who was there when he father wasn't. He flips his book over onto the table and sets his spoon down in the bowl. The wild mane of white hair moves and Jiraiya's face peeks back at Naruto before he speaks.

"Sasuke's?" He asks, a knowing look on his face. Naruto flushes and walks out the door to hide his embarrassment.

'What is with everyone? Is it obvious that I'm in love with Sasuke or something? Which I'm not. That would be weird. Not weird, but…' Naruto's mind is scattered and he cannot settle it. His head is busy with Sasuke and Sakura's too hot lips. He shutters, suddenly remembering he left his jacket back at the house. He stops, screams an offensive expletive, and continues walking. His anger is rising from a low simmer to a steady boil.

"How does she know where he lives? Crazy-ass bitch." Naruto hisses. He glares up at the bright blue, morning sky. He stops, yells yet another expletive and moves on. "How hard is it to fucking snow?" He raises a menacing fist toward the sky and pushes on.

It is Itachi who opens the door to a very cold and very pissed Naruto. His dark eyes give away nothing as he stares at Naruto. He pushes his way past him, breathing in the warm air of the house. The tingling scents of the holidays greet Naruto's nose and he wants to crumble to the floor and roll around on the cozy rugs. He refrains and shudders involuntarily. Sasuke appears at the top of the stairs just as his mother sticks her head out into the hallway in front of Naruto. He's not sure which one to focus on and Itachi slinks past him. He gives a strange snort sound and adds in a dull tone, "You're cool." Naruto ignores him and glimpses from the corner of his eye, Sasuke stomping down the stairs. Mikoto Uchiha ambushes Naruto, wrapping her thin arms around him.

"My, Naruto you've grown taller." She pulls away from him. Naruto smiles openly, his anger quickly dissipating. "That's surprising." She adds. Naruto's smile disappears. 'Just had to get one last zinger in there…'

"Naruto, you look so thin. Are you eating?" Mikoto asks just as Sasuke reaches ground level, his eyes wild. Naruto's stomach grumbles in answer. "I'll fix you up something. You still like ramen?"

"Of course."

"I'll take some too." Sakura calls from the open balcony of the second floor. She receives three glares, Itachi is shuffling his way out of the open entryway. She peers strangely back at them and backs back up from where she's come, a look of confusion on her face. Naruto watches after Mikoto when Sasuke grips his upper arm, shoving him back up against the door.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke snaps, his nose nearly touching Naruto's.

"I told you I was under my bed. I was stuck." Naruto murmurs back, his voice no louder than a whisper. Sasuke closes his eyes in exasperation and breathes out slowly through his nose, his warm breath on Naruto's flushed cheeks. Sasuke instantly releases his hold on Naruto's arms. "You're freezing, tell me you have a jacket." Naruto chuckles, his eyes lighting up.

"You're the only seventeen year old I know who would ask a question like that. You'd think you care about me or something."

"Yeah, well you are my best friend." Sasuke mutters. Naruto says nothing as his face becomes darker with the realized closeness. Sasuke is looking down at Naruto's chest and he pushes away from the door only for Naruto to reach out and grasp Sasuke's arm, bringing him back. "What are you doing?" Sasuke whispers, his voice dripping with irritation.

"Do you like me?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asks, his face so red he can hear the blood pumping in his ears. Naruto's face is burning up too. He wants to stop talking and go back. Back the dark shell of a house he calls a home. But he can't stop now, not after coming so far. If Sasuke were to say he wanted to run away, his eyes would say something entirely different. His entire frame is stiff but his dark eyes never leave Naruto's. They are both leaning instinctively forward, wanting and wanting. The two are so close they can hear each other's heart beat pounding embarrassingly loudly.

'So close.'

'Just a bit further.' Their thoughts mirror each other's and they so want to touch the other.

"Naruto? Your ramen's ready" Mikoto calls, her voice getting nearer. Sasuke and his warm closeness disappear as he slides away, his socks slipping on the slick wood floor.

"Yeah, so come upstairs as soon as you finish." Sasuke says, obviously looking away from Naruto. Naruto's chest is in pain as he watches Sasuke run up the stairs. Sasuke's foot slips on a stair and he misses it, causing him to stumble momentarily.

"What's with him?" Mikoto asks, looking after him. Naruto gives a red-faced grunt and quickly strolls past her toward the kitchen area. 'Shit.'

?

Sasuke and Naruto find themselves as third wheels between Sakura and Sasuke's laptop. She laughs wildly, flipping her now green hair back behind an ear. She sits at the head of Sasuke's bed, bouncing with elation. She twists the laptop around quickly, showing a flash of some yaoi-esque artwork on Tumblr.

"Check this shit out, it's fantastic." She says, winking at the pair. They are sitting on Sasuke's floor, as far away from the yaoi fanatic as possible. Their backs are pressed against the wide face of the desk, their knees pulled up toward their chests. Their arms are warm and touch each other. The rough surface of Naruto's flannel shirt rubs against Sasuke's bare arm. He still appears to be wearing his pajamas, a loose pair of sweat pants and an aged t-shirt he got from Vernon, British Columbia. His hair is ruffled, but not in the way he usually prepares it. From the many glances Naruto has taken at him, he can see the glasses on his face are askew. It takes boatloads of self-control from Naruto to restrain straightening them out himself.

"So much yaoi it –"

"—feels like it's been hours." Naruto finishes Sasuke sentence, rubbing his eyes. Though he cannot have been here for long he feels drained. Just being cooped up Sasuke's room, sitting close too him is enough to make him feel tired from an intoxicated-like existence. He never thought he would smell Sasuke's natural scent again. It is a deep mixture of freshly laundered clothing, turf, and the faintest hint of tomato. His eyes are heavy and the lids are sinking down. 'Did he get any sleep last night?'

"Guys! Guys! Look at this one!"

"No, Sakura, no more. I, we can't take any more." Naruto murmurs, gesturing toward the nodding off Sasuke. His head is dipping down between his raised legs, his body leaning slightly toward Naruto's. Sakura merely smirks and glances at the clock above Naruto's head on the desk.

"Hmmm, I gotta get out of here. I've got work." She closes the laptop with a snap, an arch grin on her face. Naruto does not move to get up when she stands, slipping a small messenger bag over a shoulder. As she slips her pale feet into the shoes by the bed she smirks at Naruto. "Nice try with the 'NaruSasu' plan. You failed." Naruto shrugs, not caring any longer. Maybe he wants that article to be the truth. That is especially true as he listens to Sasuke's slow, exhausted breathing. As Sakura leaves the bedroom, she whispers, "The kiss was bad, you'd better practice some more before trying something like that on Sasuke." With a flourish of her hand, she flicks the light off behind her and slides out of the room.

?

_He was cowering in the same corner, his shoulders shivering with the cold now. The invisible arms, though rough and angry, offered a sort of warmth. They are gone now and the young Naruto was more frightened than ever. The tears had stopped and his face was sticky with their residue. His fists loosened and tightened again around the white bed sheets. His heart rate had not slowed, if anything it had risen with the apprehension of _his_ possible return. Just the thought of his hands on Naruto's cool skin was enough to send a painful shudder rolling through his body. His throat was sore from the pain. His mouth was still covered, by what he could not be sure. It felt tight and he had a feeling it would hurt if he were to take it off. Though his arms were free, no longer pinned down by the sadistic man, Naruto could not bring himself to remove the covering over his mouth. He was terrified of what he might say. But deep down, he had a feeling he would be silent and that would be all the more horrifying._

"Naruto_," His voice whispered, an almost loving manner to it. Naruto stopped shaking. He knew what was coming. He always knew. It would never end. And part of him needed that. _

"Naruto_," The voice cooed again, it was closer now. The warm breath of the speaker traveled down his neck. Naruto said nothing. He did nothing. He simply stared forward into the darkness beyond the bed. _This is where I belong. Here, always.

?

Sasuke stares at Naruto in deep concern. Tears trail down Naruto's face, his expression one of pain and desperation. Naruto is still leaning back against the desk, one leg outstretched, the other brought up toward his chest. Sasuke has moved, facing him, his own back against his bed. He takes in every crease of Naruto's young face, the creases of struggle and worry.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke asks in near silence. The clock tells him it is late in the afternoon. It does not surprise him that the two slept nearly half the day. Dim blue light peeks through Sasuke's thick curtains. He stands quietly and approaches the window behind the desk. Leaning over Naruto, he spreads the curtains wide, taking in the dark clouds, a drastic change from the bright sky of this morning. Taking his seat again, Sasuke surveys Naruto in extreme detail. As he squints his eyes he can just make out the bump on Naruto's cheek, the scar Sasuke made. He leans in, breathing in deeply. Trying to push the thoughts of how strange he must look, Sasuke gets even closer. With Naruto not conscious, it is so much easier for Sasuke. 'So close.' Naruto's short, quick breaths blow onto Sasuke's face. They smell slightly of ramen, but Sasuke doesn't mind. He brings up a tentative finger, touching Naruto's cheek. He sits back instantly, waiting for Naruto to wake, waving his arms around like a lunatic. But he does not. Sasuke takes this as a good sign and moves back in.

His lone finger soon becomes his whole hand as he holds Naruto's cheek. Sasuke catches sight of Naruto's lips and flashes back to the imaginings he had yesterday. 'It's now or never.' Being the brave person he thinks himself to be, Sasuke lightly brushes his lips against his friend's. They are cold, Sasuke notices. Again he kisses Naruto: a longer, firmer kiss. Sasuke pushes back, launching himself up onto his bed. He touches his lips lightly, feeling the traces of cold he got from Naruto. He likes that cold, he wants more.

!

When Naruto wakes up, Sasuke is gone, the room dark, just as Sakura left it. He breathes in deeply, satisfied. He is happy to be awake, happy to be away from _that_. Naruto slowly, unsteadily gets to his feet and stumbles to the door. He opens it to a dim hallway, the warm smells of an evening meal tickling his nose. He smells meat and vegetables and evergreen. Everything around him feels so warm, but he still shivers from that dream. He's on that lonely bed in the darkness of his mind, it is freezing and black and never-ending. Suddenly feels as though he needs to leave before he taints Sasuke's home. 'Where is he?' Sasuke emerges from the darkness of the hall behind him as his mother moves up the stairs, seeing Naruto. {jesus, Sasu sounded like a creeper just then…}

"Naruto, you're still here?" She asks.

"Yeah, I was about to leave." Naruto murmurs. He looks past Mikoto to the large bay windows. 'It looks freezing out there.'

"Dinner's ready anyway, why don't you stay?" She pauses. "What do you think, Sasuke?" Naruto turns quickly to see Sasuke lurking behind him. He has changed out of his pajamas, now wearing black soccer pants and a sleek, form fitting sweatshirt.

"I thought you were off the team." Naruto says, looking Sasuke up and down questionably. Sasuke only shrugs, he does not want to elaborate.

"Fugaku was able to talk some sense into those coaches." Mikoto says, not hiding the smile growing on her face. "Let's go downstairs before the food cools." Naruto looks away from Sasuke and follows his mother down the stairs. Sasuke breathes in deeply through his nose. 'This should be fun.'

Mikoto and Naruto carry most of the conversation, Sasuke and Itachi silently eating. Itachi is plugged into his iPod and cannot hear a word while Sasuke does everything he can to avoid staring at Naruto's lips. They move quickly as he talks, a faint smile always there. The lips are turning toward Sasuke, mouthing a familiar word. They repeat, Sasuke not hearing a word.

"Sasuke!" His mother calls, her voice loud and demanding.

"W-what?" He says, stumbling over his words. He can't meet his mother's eye, but he can Naruto's. The blue eyes are questioning and kind. Sasuke remembers the tears streaming down his face and must look away.

"Do you not like the food?" Mikoto asks, gesturing with her chopsticks toward his full dish. Sasuke is about to reply when the opening of the door from the garage silences him. Everyone at the table stiffens upon hearing Fugaku Uchiha's irritated voice.

"Here I am, coming home late, hoping for a warm family welcome, it being the holidays and all. It's the least I deserve after heading the company that puts the money into your pockets and food in the bowls in front of you." Fugaku can't be seen as he moves about outside of the dining room. The volume grows and weakens with his changing location. "All of them, incompetent idiots, they don't know a thing about what they are doing. We hire these young people straight out of college. Itachi could do a better job than those bumbling mor—oh." Fugaku pauses as he enters the room, seeing Naruto. He loosens his tie and looks to his empty spot. His annoyance is obvious as he stares at the blank placemat, no food steaming, waiting for his arrival. Mikoto stands to greet him, pecking him lightly on the cheek. She passes by without another word. Naruto is the only person in the room to meet his gaze. Like Mikoto, he stands. He holds a hand out over the table, Sasuke's face flooding with red. Fugaku gives him a swift, but firm shake and takes his seat, pulling his tie out all the way. He twists to place his jacket on the back of the chair.

"I saw that girl here earlier. Where is she now?" Fugaku asks, both Naruto and Sasuke notice the emphasis he puts on the word girl.

"She left." Sasuke says, not looking up from his untouched food. Fugaku's eyes flicker toward Naruto, but he says nothing more, clasping his hands together on the empty table space before him. Sasuke can feel his burning gaze and lets his eyes drift toward Naruto's forearm, the once stylish orange flannel t-shirt suddenly seeming flamboyant and tacky.

"I see you're wearing your soccer clothing." Fugaku murmurs. Sasuke shrugs, hating that Naruto is here. He wants to shy away from everyone and run. He wants to feel the blood pumping though his body, his breathing haggard, and his legs shaking, he wants all of that back. Ever since the truth about "who he was" and all that cow came out, he felt himself losing the grasp on who he actually was. Gone was the cool and collected Sasuke, the one who did not give a shit about whose hearts he broke and dreams he crushed. The old Sasuke was the one who would go on pinning for his old friend. He was satisfied with watching from a distance, glancing at him from down the hall and catching his eye every now and again. Sasuke liked that. Now Naruto, only inches away, sits unknowingly. Sasuke remembers the kiss he stole and feels like a fool. He wipes the back of his hand across his lips, as if swiping away a crumb.

"Yeah, I'm ready to play again." Sasuke answers after a moment. Mikoto comes back in to the room, setting Fugaku's meal down. He smiles quickly up at her, love evident in his eyes.

"It's all thanks to me that you're able to play again." He pauses, as if waiting for Sasuke to credit him. When his youngest son does not move to thank him, he goes on. "Apparently, you have not been showing up for your select team's practices either. So, after talking to all of your coaches, you _will _be going to both them." Naruto tenses, his face remaining blank. Sasuke nods, shame filling him. He has been avoiding soccer practice as to spend more time with Naruto. He will not admit this to himself or anyone ever. "Now that you'll be playing again, I expect even better playing than when you left." Fugaku places a mouthful into his mouth, an appreciative look on his face. "Itachi, if you had stayed with school, you could be more like your brother." Their father murmurs offhandedly.

"What? Gay?" Itachi asks flatly. Fugaku swallows his rice loudly, lightly pounding a fist to his chest.

"I'm sure that is just going to be a phase. Right, Sasuke?" Sasuke watches Naruto's hands clench on the table, this surprises him.

"It's not a phase." Sasuke says quietly to the table.

"What? You need to stop that mumbling Sasuke. It's terrible, I can't hear a thing you're saying."

"I said it's not a damn phase! So what, I like cock!" Sasuke is suddenly standing, his chair teetering loudly. "Since I'm a homo, a fag, whatever, I'll probably go out and get AIDS and bring it back to your little lie of a loving family. I'll be wearing a rainbow flag as a cape at the same time, just you wait. Oh, the fucking horror."

"Sasuke!" Both his parents hiss.

"Fuck you both, I've got soccer practice." Sasuke waves a nonchalant goodbye and strides out of the room. Itachi smiles, it is nearly invisible and disappears as quickly as it appeared.

* * *

><p>A little melodramatic there at the end, huh? Ha. Whatever. I kind of portrayed Sasu's dad as a dick... I was bored. ALSO, that you so much for everyone who has commented so far, means a great deal. XD<p>

Currently listening to..._Let's Dance to Joy Division _~ The Wombats


	6. Chapter 6

Happy (if not slightly belated) New Year!

I have not updated this story for a while, that is due to some writer's block (fml) and family problems, er... I mean family holidays spent together. Typos, but I'm too tired to be thorough. ;)

Summary: Something's going around, and it's not the flu and it's not herpes, it's a rumor. This rumor could change everything in Sasuke's life, is he ready for it? AU

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, and love~

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p>Sasuke is sprinting now, his legs stinging with the cold and effort. He heaves out a cough as he runs, it is a rattling one. The rest of the team is just a few paces behind him, their breathing all labored. They are in awe that the boy who took a break from all athletic activity for two weeks and can still kick their asses at running. His cleats pound against the red track. He remains in the inner lane, rounding the curve quickly. Sasuke feels the eyes of the coaches on him, causing him to run even faster. He clears his mind, thinking of nothing but the evening and of his breathing and the biting cold. He leaves the team behind as he goes for another lap.<p>

The rest of his practice progresses in the same manner. His teammates are happy to have him back, his icy demeanor and all. They all seem to have forgotten about the incident only days before as they let him into the locker room. He slips out of his slick black clothing, avoiding the eyes of everyone around him, just as he has always done. His mood is darker than usual, though not from the obvious. Before being carted off to practice, Sasuke let loose his excess rage on an accepting Naruto.

They were shivering in the freezing garage, waiting for Mikoto. Sasuke's feet were bare and sticking to the chilled cemented floor. He hopped lightly from foot to foot as Naruto said gently, "I know you were angry, but…if you think about it, what you did to your dad is just going to make your relationship so much worse." Sasuke still cannot forget the sad, far-off look that was in his dim, blue eyes.

"What could you possibly know about bad father-son relationships?" Sasuke snapped. The last time he had recalled, Naruto and his father were the best of friends, so close it once elicited jealously from a younger Sasuke. Naruto's face showed bafflement tinged with anger. He rubbed the back of a hand on his forehead and laughed dryly.

"What would I know? I'm just stupid Naruto Uzumaki, too retarded and weird to be friends with the school soccer star." He didn't raise his voice when he spoke. And instead of waiting for Sasuke's next likely to be rude comment, he brings his headphones up onto his ears, the Beats' insignia creating a barrier between the pair. They were orange and pointlessly large and were beginning to anger Sasuke even more.

"Is that what you're mad about? That we're not friends anymore." Sasuke asked urgently, gently shoving Naruto's shoulder for his attention. He was answered with Naruto's music growing louder. But he knew he had heard him by the look of sadness spreading across Naruto's face. Sasuke wanted to take back what he said, but something stopped him.

"I guess you're right." Naruto murmured. Sasuke was shocked by him. Naruto turned to face him and smiled without humor. "I mean, friends don't kiss friends while they're sleeping. Now do they?" Naruto rose an eyebrow menacingly and Mikoto was stepping down into the garage. Sasuke wasn't even blushing, his mouth hung open in dismay. He knew that was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

It is nine thirty by the time practice in winding down. Sasuke does not want it to stop, as he knows that when it will, only thoughts of Naruto will haunt him. The other boys are packing up their things, staggering toward the rows of cars waiting for them. Sasuke passes time juggling a ball from one foot up onto his knee. He is so accomplished at this that he can scan the field while doing so. The coaches are ready to go home, some already slinking away to their cars, their shoulders slumped over with fatigue. Sasuke is wide awake, wired even.

"Sasuke, you have a ride?" One asks, not particularly caring. Sasuke shakes his head and waves goodbye. The silence settles down on him like a comfortable friend. The roar of the highway is in the distance and Sasuke's mind drifts to the holey field he played with Naruto and his friends on. He wonders if Naruto is there now. His foot does no connect to the ball and it hits the ground, rolling away from him.

"Forty-five. Damn, Sasuke. I remember when you couldn't even do that once." Naruto's voice says loudly behind him. Sasuke does not turn, only outstretches his foot for the ball. It is just out of radius and he hops to it. "I'm sorry about earlier." He says, getting steadily closer. Sasuke's lips are shut tight, his pride will not allow him to speak. "Pass me the ball." His tone is soft, as if saying more than he really is. Sasuke hits it back with his heel. Naruto settles it at his feet, a solemn look on his face. Sasuke is facing him now, his fingers now freezing.

"How'd you get here?" He asks simply because he feels the need to talk.

"Walked." Naruto bounces the ball between his feet, the rubber soles of his Converse not helping him exercise complete control over it. Sasuke sees Naruto is still not wearing a jacket, his cheeks are rosy with the frosty night. He is staring down at the rolling ball and Sasuke wants him to look up. He wants to take back the kiss, yet he does not at the same time. "About the kiss…" Naruto begins, glancing up at Sasuke. As their eyes meet, Sasuke's breathing echoes loudly in his ears. The silence lasts even painfully longer while Naruto looks away.

"What about the kiss?" 'He hated it, he was disgusted. Wasn't he?' Sasuke's face and body language give no indication to his scattered and frenzied thoughts. Naruto can see how hard Sasuke is trying to seem calm and uncaring. Naruto skips the ball up onto the top of his shoes, trying hard to balance it. He chips it up in Sasuke's direction.

"It wasn't that bad." Naruto murmurs, a slight smile on his lips. He doesn't fail to notice as Sasuke misses the ball and it rolls to the ground, his face flooding red in color.

"Stop." He hisses.

Naruto was barely aware of what was happening when Sasuke kissed him. The only thing that clued him in was the smell of freshly laundered clothing with the faintest trace of tomato. He had peeked through one eye, seeing Sasuke's squeezed shut. Part of him had wanted to kiss Sasuke back, but he restrained, knowing how much it would shock and terrify him. Sasuke passes the ball back to Naruto, avoiding making eye contact. The air is cold and Naruto wraps his checked flannel shirt closer to him as he waits for the ball to receive the soccer ball. His teeth are chattering with his knowledge and he clenches and unclenches his fingers.

"Hey, you want my jacket?" Sasuke asks, his voice indifferent, the ball now rolling toward Naruto's feet.

"Yes." Naruto answers, stopping the ball. Sasuke shrugs out of his thin but warm black jacket and tosses it to him. Naruto reaches forward to catch it, but misses just barely and the jacket flutters to the deep green turf of the field. Sasuke only smirks and moves toward Naruto. The blond tenses at the sudden proximity but Sasuke pretends to not notice. He picks up the coat and sets it in Naruto's hands before stealing the ball from him. The orange headphones Naruto was wearing before now rest on his collarbone, they shimmer in the bright light of the field. They are new, Sasuke has only just seen them today.

"Where did you get those?" Sasuke nods toward the device.

"An early Christmas gift from Mom and Dad. Woke up the other day and they were just sitting on the table in their shiny new box." Naruto mumbles. Sasuke notices the distain with which Naruto says this. He raises an eyebrow; a question. Naruto only responds with a scowl. "They are trying to buy my love." He is suddenly feeling nervous and clutches the headphones almost protectively.

"Is it working?" Sasuke asks meaningfully. He remembers the unsteady relationship between Naruto and his parents. Around the time he dropped out of soccer, Naruto distanced himself from everyone, especially his parents. He was eleven, the beginning of the awkward phases sure to come. He spent that time alone, away from the consoling of friends or family. Before Naruto can answer Sasuke's question, something over Sasuke's shoulder catches his eye. A figure dressed in dark clothing is approaching the pair. He wears the customary coach attire, a tight black jumper and pants of the same color. Naruto is staring hard at the man and the jacket slips out of his hands.

The smell of the turf is suddenly overwhelming, it chokes him. The man is getting closer, an easy look on his face. Naruto's mouth hangs open just slightly his blue eyes seeming to have glazed over. He is back on that bed, the bed that seems to go on forever. The intoxicating scents of turf and his irrepressible cologne sting Naruto's eleven year old nose. The palms of the man's hands are soft as they make their slow way across his skin. Naruto squirms under his touch. He feels aversion and distaste, but the most disgusting of all is that tiny tickle of pleasure. Naruto does not even protest any longer, knowing his complaints will go unheard. His small mouth is not covered by the resistant veil of silver duct tape, instead he has it already clamped shut. The man is breathing hotly into Naruto's ear, the sweet nothings he utters no longer fazed Naruto.

"Naruto." His deep voice says, bring him back. The man is standing next to Sasuke, a small grin on his face. Sasuke is staring at Naruto's face, concern displayed plainly on his own face. "Well, haven't you grown into a young man?" The man acknowledges smoothly. Naruto cannot respond, his face showing fear, with traces of anger.

"Naruto, this is Couch Richards, he used to coach us when we were young. He's now an assistant one of sorts for the school team." Sasuke tells an unresponsive Naruto. 'He still looks the same.' Naruto's heart rate is fast, the blood pumping heavily in his eardrums. The man drapes an arm over Sasuke's shoulders in a jovial way.

"Sasuke here has become quite an amazing player. You could have been amazing, just like him. It's a pity you quit." The man says, sympathy in his gray eyes. Sasuke is tense under the man's touch, but says nothing, he is too preoccupied in reading Naruto's face. In all the years, Sasuke has always seen Naruto's face as an open book, but suddenly it seems to slam shut. It is blank, the eyes sightless, the fear gone, and Naruto turns away. Sasuke is about to call out to Naruto in anger when the coach to his right squeezes his shoulder. The gesture is quick and sharp, barely noticeable but Sasuke glances up at Richards' face, watching an expression of irritation flash across it. He pulls away from the coach's touch and apologizes, saying he needs to get home. Rather than the polite response Richards usually gives, he nods curtly and walks away, glancing over his shoulder at the shrinking figure of Naruto. Sasuke looks to him as well, his eyes narrowed confusion. He sees the jacket on the ground and remembers Naruto dressed in merely his thin flannel and the cold suddenly feels so much colder.

?

The first time Sasuke had ever seen Naruto cry was when Sasuke broke his leg playing soccer.

_He lay on the huge bed of the pediatric hospital with Naruto laying beside him. It was the middle of the day and the bed was positioned in a way that the two were sitting. Naruto still wore the soccer jersey and shorts from the game the day before, his eyes were red with purple bags underneath, and he was sleeping. His blond hair was dirty with the mud and rain of the previous day. Sasuke had been staring out of the wide windows, thankful he was on the bright side of the room. Behind the cloth partition a teenage boy was complaining to his parents. Sasuke had no idea where his own parents were and was pleased it was just Naruto with him. Of all the visitors he had had that day, Naruto was still his favorite. He was unusually calm, a difference from the worriedly manic boy from the soccer field as he ran to Sasuke as he keeled over onto the ground with pain. _

_The argument on the other side of the room rose in volume and Naruto's eyes fluttered. Sasuke looked at him urgently, hoping would not wake up. Part of it was that Naruto was always slightly more annoying when he was awake, but most of it was Sasuke knew how badly Naruto needed to sleep. He heard from his uncaring brother that Naruto had played the rest of the game with an unrivaled level of skill. The window no longer held anything of interest for the young Sasuke, instead, he stared at Naruto's face. Yes he had seen it before, thousands if not millions of times, but just then Sasuke felt as if Naruto's sleeping face was a precious, beautiful thing. A thing that belonged solely to him. Sasuke ran his bandaged fingers across Naruto's creased forehead. '_It's so soft.' _He had thought to himself. As Sasuke pulled away his hand, Naruto breathed his name. It was faintly whispered, but Sasuke was sure of what he had said. The tone he had used was not the usual one he took up in Sasuke's presence. It had a deeper, darker truth to it that echoed in his head, leaving Sasuke with gooseflesh and red cheeks. _

"_I'm s-sorry." Naruto said in that same eerie voice. Big, fat tears rolled down Naruto's soft cheeks. Sasuke was shocked and did not know how to react. Naruto was shaking ever so slightly, his tears coming down more heavily. Without thinking anymore about it, Sasuke did what his mother had always done whenever he was crying, he hugged him tightly. Naruto was so much warmer than he thought he would be. Sasuke clung to him, more for himself than anything. Naruto's shivering was soon subdued, his tears fell into Sasuke's hair, and his breathing began to level back to normal. As Sasuke held Naruto in his small arms, it was the first time in his life he felt worth anything. He had something, _someone _to protect. _

!

Sasuke remembers that day in the hospital as he sits in Naruto's gap in the wall. It is as tight as it was weeks before but many degrees colder. Naruto is nowhere to be seen. Sasuke has spent his whole lunch period searching the school for the boy but no luck. It has been a few days since the night at the school field and Sasuke has still not seen him. He listens to music loudly as he hunkers down in the gap. His knees are pulled up keep his warmth close at hand. Sasuke's arms, which are wrapped around his legs felt empty. He has never hugged anyone so wholeheartedly since doing so to Naruto. 'Where is he now?' Sasuke is genuinely worried, as he has personally gone to Naruto's house many times, only to find it empty and dark. Sasuke stops the music and brings his phone to his ear quickly, calling Naruto once again. But, once again, the number goes straight to dial tone. He sighs and pushes his phone deep into a pocket.

He pulls up his hood, blocking his face from view. From the crack in the wall, Sasuke can see everything. He can see a break up taking place in the far right corner of the parking lot. The boy is yelling while the girl has a contemptuous look. On the opposite side, a pair of boys in matching hoodies disappear into the notorious woods behind the school. Just a mere fifty left of Sasuke, he spies the gym teacher clutching the drama teacher's hand. She blushes violently as the gym teacher grins more and more. Despite his dark mood, the sight of the older couple is enough to make Sasuke to give the briefest of smiles.

"Naruto." He says, his word creating a translucent cloud in the biting air. "What are you to me?" Sasuke doesn't care that he is speaking aloud. He knows no one will hear him. The question hangs in the air like an unwanted disease. Friend is the first thought to fly into his head. But what the two share is more than that. Just several months before, the two had been rather distant at that point, there had been a moment between them. It was a huge end of school party at some kid on the soccer team's house and Sasuke was to come. Naruto was dragged there by a girl he did not know very well. The party seems so long ago to Sasuke, but his head snaps up, remembering. He is on his feet, sprinting from the gap in the wall, his only thought is of Naruto that night. He always knew there was something Naruto had said that struck him, but the two were so wasted that nothing except odd feelings has always lingered from that night. 'What did he say?'

**Five Months Ago**

"Sasuke. Sasuke!" Someone is shaking my shoulders, dragging me out of a sort of stupor. The air still smells heavily of sports drinks and sourly of teenage males. My face rests on the warm glass of the back pane of the lengthy van. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dimness, to make out the excited faces. "We're here! Get out of the car, man." The same boy who called my name earlier is pulling the sleeve of my shirt. When I don't move, he gives up entirely, hopping out of the van. Music is still playing in my ears, something unrecognizable. Running my hand across the window I have steamed up with my sleeping breath, I see a house aglow with lights, kids sidling up toward it. This is not my house. The tall building I see here before me is someone else's, familiar but not mine. I suddenly dread whatever is coming.

As I push myself out of the parked van, the boys all look back at me. They are grinning widely. With their slouching postures and narrow vocabulary, colored by expletives, I realize something. I am better than all of these boys. Why I waste moments of my life with them I have no idea. Naruto pushes his way into my head, just as he has seemed to more often than not over the past few weeks.

"Where are we?" I ask the guys, my hands finding the pockets of my jeans. I am relieved I thought to change them after the soccer match earlier in the day.

"My place. Beth organized a party because of the win you gave us." A tall guy from the back of the cluster of boys announces loudly. I say nothing to his words. They all look at me expectantly and I know they want an acknowledgement of some kind. I don't give one and am thankful for the horde of girlfriends rushing to meet their temporary mates. The looks in all of the boys' eyes are far different than the girls'. If Naruto were here… I stop myself with a shake of the head. I have not seen my best friend in weeks. Good riddance, right? I start up the short patch of grass to the house. It is not the weak excuse of a garden that matters in this neighborhood, it is the view. I turn around to gaze down at the beautiful, shimmering lake. With it being the middle of summer, the night is still light and young. As soon as I step into the crowded house, I begin to worry. Within moments, I am seated on a comfortable couch, uncomfortably close to a crowd of skimpily dressed girls. A plastic cup of a drink is in my hand but I don't drink it as I stare forward at the flashing screen. A pair of sophomore boys are playing Guitar Hero like their lives depend on it. The song is "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which is fitting for this setting. Though it reeks more of alcohol and weed than spirit. A girl, whose name I'm vaguely sure is Karin is trying to talk to me when I spot him. Naruto looks out of place amongst the other adolescents. While he is the same age as the rest of them, in his dark skinny jeans and a t-shirt about zombies, there is something in his eyes that stands out to me. The Nirvana song is getting to a loud part, grasping Naruto's attention and I look away quickly. My eyes find themselves on some girl's exceptionally flat chest and I try to look away from that. But when I am free of miniscule busts, I see Naruto again. He is smiling down at a girl. She was in my Pre-Calculus class in the past school year. Her lengthy black hair, the innocent look in her light eyes is rubbing me the wrong way and I take a gulp of the drink. It scorches as it runs down my throat, my eyes burning holes into Naruto's downcast forehead. I swallow more of the beverage until it is gone. Naruto is laughing now and I am pissed, not in a drunk sense, at least not yet.

* * *

><p>It's a little odd, but I wanted to do Sasu's POV, Naru's is to come. This part is in the past, yes. Last week I bought a (pardon my French) shit load of yoai manga online and I anxiously wait for it to be delivered. I accept my otaku-ness.<p>

Currently listening to..._Somebody That I Used To Know _~ Gotye


	7. Chapter 7

Hey! This is the last chapter of 'Outed' or as I like to call it, "that fucking thing I should go write now..." Well, a lot has happened in the past month. I got my snow and my birthday happened, so yay me. Anyway, now that 'Outed' is finished, I'm kind of sad. But try to enjoy, it gets a little dramatic at the end. Typos expected.

Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, and love~

Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.

* * *

><p><strong>Five Months Ago (Still)<strong>

I can lie to myself in many different ways, but to lay down the whole truth, I came here to see Sasuke. Hinata dragged me along, knowing he would be here. Some boys that I recognize from the back parking lot are strumming plastic guitars, the song has changed to "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers and I wish they would hike up the volume. All around the giant house, whiny pop songs assault my ears. Hinata is pulling me through the crowds of kids. Each is at a varying level of drunkenness, which makes me wonder, parties like these actually exist? I don't know what I am to say to him. I miss you, is the main idea. But, how to say that at a party full of the most unaccepting people you will ever meet? Hinata has disappeared, leaving me alone to linger in a doorway to the dark living room. Someone is getting up from the extended, low-to-the-ground couch. He is slender, wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans. A girl with red hair is reaching for him, an eager look on her face. The boy is having none of it and only moves away, holding his plastic cup up high in the air. As he nears me, the light of the hallway illuminates his face. Sasuke pushes past me, his eyes remain on mine and I watch after him. As other kids pat him on the shoulders as he moves through the crowd, I have never felt so far from him.

I follow, the swarm of teens still separated in his wake. A guy in front of the table designated for the drinks hands one to Sasuke, smiling. Sasuke takes it, downing the beverage, demanding more without even the hint of humor. He's only seventeen, pouring those toxins into his youthful liver is not a good idea. If we were still close, I would take the alcohol away from him, but now I can only watch.

Hinata is back, her bright eyes filled with the elation she is obviously in. She holds out a cup for me, my nose wrinkles at the bitter smell of alcohol. While Hinata is usually quiet and shy, she is like a blossoming flower tonight. I will admit, she looks good. Her black hair is long and she wears a short, tight skirt, exposing pale flesh. I remember when she had a barely disguised crush on me when we were young. It was Sasuke who eventually told me the truth about how she felt. The times have changed, she does not like me anymore and I have someone else. Though that someone may have been there from the beginning, my attraction to him never acknowledged. I catch sight of him catching sight of me and I do nothing. He is gulping some other drink handed to him, giving the impression that he couldn't care less. I mirror him, the liquid burns and I give an involuntary shake of my body, along with a clearing of the throat. Even from this distance, and all the people moving between us, I can see the smartass smile he makes. His dark eyes break away from mine, his smirk disappating. He is glaring at Hinata. She is frowning back at him.

"Wow. If the asshole wants to talk to you so badly, he should just walk up to you. I'm gonna go talk to people." Hinata is on fire tonight. Who is this chick? It's the first time in years that she has struck me as attractive in any capacity. This could have something to do with the darkness of her hair, the way it shines and bounces light reminds me of Sasuke.

Minutes pass, taking forever to click by. I find myself seated on a leather couch, a couple are tightly intertwined, making grotesque slurping noises with their mouths. I go on sipping the drink, it doesn't burn anymore. Instead, it offers an almost soothing tickling sensation. I don't know what floor I am on but, the only thing I am sure of is that the television before me is on. The ending of _Fight Club _is flickering across my hazy vision. Edward Norton is clutching Helena Bonham Carter's hand, buildings booming in the background. Have I sat here and watched _Fight Club _all the way from start to finish without realizing it? This does not surprise me in my foggy daze. I let my head fall back on the couch, staring up at the dark ceiling.

The smooching beside me is getting louder and more…wet sounding and my eyes find the boy's next to me. I somewhat recognize him but my brain is not in the mood to rifle through the cabinet of my head that puts faces to names. The girl the boy is kissing is blonde, her hair is pulled back into an intricate four ponytail get-up. The boy looks away from the girl, meeting my eyes. Even as he pulls away, I know what he's going to say and I turn my head, ready to hear everything.

"What the hell's your problem?" He snaps, and after a rude silence he tacks on, as if a second thought, "Fuckin' fag." The girl with him peeks my way and begins to snicker rudely. I don't care, not about either of them, nor this shitty party. Fuck Sasuke. Who needs his temperamental bullshit? I am about to stand to leave when a stick thin girl comes teetering in.

"Oh my God! Did you hear?" She asks loudly, breathing heavily as if she has just run a marathon. The three of us on the couch only stare at her. As she gathers her thoughts and regains her breath, I see a chubby girl passed out on the floor {That is me making a cameo appearance} . Where did she come from? "Sasuke Uchiha is so drunk right now! He's out there kissing girls, you should go see!" The girl is obviously talking to the one under the asshole, but it is me whole stands first. I move past the girl and through the unknown house with surprising fluidity for someone who's drunk. Once I reach the ground floor, Sasuke is no where to be seen, and neither are the party guests. Something, my gut most likely, guides me to the back of the house where a large blue pool glistens in the night. It is surrounded by people, they are all staring with envy at the few people in the water. I shove my way through the crowd, scanning the water for Sasuke. When I don't see him relief floods over me, just as a girl beside me squeals in pleasure. Sasuke stands at the side of the pool, shedding his shirt and pants. While the youth around me cheer him on, I only glare at him. Even though he is severely far gone into a drunken haze, he must feel my eyes on him, as he looks up. For a brief moment, the splashing of the water, the screaming of kids, the smell of pot and alcohol all disappear. Sasuke gives the smallest of smiles. It is real, I can see that much, but it causes my heart to break. Sasuke's smiles are only meant for me, no one else. What are you doing, Sasuke?

Then, he jumps.

?

Naruto is lying upside down on the couch again. But this time, the screen does not show a bright, almost hallucinogenic kids' show. Instead, black and white photos of a ravaged Europe flash across the screen. A dead-sounding voice intones depressing little known facts about WWII and Naruto's face remains unfazed. He is in his own world, full of spiraling scents of cologne and turf and Sasuke's face and that man's rough yet disturbingly soothing hands. He always seems to find himself before the History channel whenever he is thinking hard about something. The eerie music of the presentation does not meld well with Naruto's already dark mood. His brain is so busy it is nearly overwhelming. The blood pounding loudly in his head may not be helping. His cell phone vibrates loudly on the coffee table before him and he stares at it. No one calls him. No one except Sasuke, and that is only to yell at him. Naruto reaches out hesitantly and grabs it.

"Hello?" Naruto says into the crackly silence. His heart is thumping at a painful speed and Naruto cannot help but fear it is _him _calling. 'He has never done that. He's too smart for that.'

"Naruto," Kushina Uzumaki says, her voice distant. Naruto does not answer her, more out of shock than anything else. "Are you alright? The school has been calling everyday, saying you're not at school. I keep telling them you are sick but is it something else…" She trails off, causing Naruto to remember who this woman is. When he remains silent Kushina sighs at the other end. "Is this about…_that_?" He stiffens at her tone, it sounds almost taunting and light, like _that _does not matter to her at all.

"No." He lies, his mother is not his secret keeper any longer. There is a lengthy pause on the other end. Naruto presses the rigid phone to his ear in an attempt to pick up any word his mother will say. At first, he hears nothing, but as seconds tick by, he can just make out her faint breathing. He remembers her warm breath on his head when he was a child. When Naruto was young, before he had met Sasuke, Naruto would run himself silly and eventually pass out, snoring on his mother's chest. It would be later, in the darkened living room that Naruto would wake up. Kushina Uzumaki would not have moved from her position before, her head back against a pillow on the couch, an arm wrapped protectively around her little boy. Naruto would stare at his mother's sleeping face for a long time, feeling the warm caress of her breath on his forehead. Recalling those times makes Naruto sit up quite suddenly.

"Naruto," Kushina says in a near whisper. Her voice suggests she wants to continue but she says nothing more. Naruto is rubbing one of his ice-cold hands on his thigh, trying to thaw them out. There is a clicking in the background on Kushina's end.

"When are you coming home?" Naruto asks, almost adding the harmless question of what's for dinner.

"Uh…" Kushina is taken aback slightly by Naruto's question. "I don't know. I've got a lot of work to do, Naruto. You wouldn't believe the amount that has piled up here." Before she can continue, Naruto cuts her off. "I miss you, Mom." He tosses his phone away, ending the call. He wants the phone to shatter against a wall, possibly into thousands of pieces for him to sweep up. But it does not, rather, the cell phone hits the opposite arm of the couch and merely bounces onto the ground. Naruto sighs.

'What am I doing right now?'

Naruto sighs again, but straightens when he hears footsteps on the porch outside. He glances at the analog clock above the television. In the dimness of the room, he has to squint to make out the Roman numerals. The door is shaking with the force of someone pounding it. Naruto does not move, still staring at the clock.

"Naruto! Naruto, open the door! Please!" Naruto can hear the desperation in Sasuke's voice. 'Sasuke?' He is on his feet, powering down the depressing show about the second world war. When his bare feet meet the wooden floor, his shivers with cold. His hand is on the cool surface of the metal doorknob as he remembers, he is avoiding Sasuke. Over the past few days, whenever Sasuke has visited, which is often, Naruto has ignored it. But now he wants to see Sasuke more than ever. He slowly, ever so excruciatingly slowly pulls the door open. Sasuke's pale hand slams into the wood, forcing the door to the side. Naruto steps back from the open doorway, taking in the panting Sasuke before him. His face is red, his eyes bloodshot, and his hair a fluffy mess.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the day, right?" Naruto peeks over his shoulder again to glance at the clock.

"Naruto, I know. I know everything" Sasuke says in an even voice and Naruto glances back at him. He does not ask any questions and merely sighs. Instead of the dread and shame Naruto imagined would fill him if Sasuke were to ever find out, he is relieved.

"The party?" Naruto asks, an uneasy look in his blue eyes. When Sasuke nods Naruto surprises him with a laugh. "To think, I would give away my deepest, darkest secret at a stupid party in a dark bathroom."

"Bathroom? I don't remember a bathroom." Sasuke says worriedly. Naruto raises his eyebrows and with a smile disappears down the hallway. Sasuke does not follow him and glances at the television. 'He was watching the History channel, wasn't he?' Sasuke's eyes find the clock over the television. It is large, the numerals firm and apathetic with the boldness of the typeface. He finds the rhythm of he clock comforting and he glances out of the window. The sky is dark with clouds and a childish yearning for snow fills him. He wants to be a young boy again and run up and down the streets with Naruto, their sleds pulled along behind them.

'What bathroom…'

?

I am pretty sure it is Naruto who pulls me out of the pool. Or at least I hope it's Naruto. Kids are laughing around me, their volume so loud and somewhat hysterical I am not entirely sure if this is real. My eyes are focusing on a porch lamp. The thing sways with the motion of the party beneath. I feel warm fingers on my bare chest, someone is calling my name, the lamp is the only thing I see. The laughter is getting louder while the porch lamp is growing brighter. I am shaking my head, closing my eyes, trying to move my fingers. Tighten. Loosen. Tighten. Loosen. Naruto. Breathe in. His eyes. Breathe out.

The sudden burst of pain that blossoms from the back of my head is what finally brings everything into focus.

"And he's back!" Some guy is screaming, raising a can of Mountain Dew in the air, a wild look in his eyes. My eyes find the porch lamp again, it is not as bright as I remember. People who were once crouching by my side are now getting to their feet. Some are leaping into the pool while others mindlessly wander away. Everyone except Naruto. His blond hair is dark with the pool water and night. His blue eyes are so intense he seems to punch me out of my drunken stupor. Instead of worry, I am greeted by harsh irritation.

"You're wet." My idiotic self says. My lips feel like rubber. It is as if I have been to the dentist and they have numbed me up. Naruto violently shakes his head, water droplets flying off in many directions.

"Well, someone had to get your dumbass out of the water." His tone is not sarcastic and he is avoiding my eyes. Why?

"So it was you then?" I want to hear him say it. I am sitting up, the water sliding off my hair. It is cold despite it being summer.

"No, it was that asshole." He jerks his thumb back toward a tall guy from the soccer team. Naruto is twisting the shirt he wears. He is doing it so tightly that I can see the stark whiteness of his knuckles. I want to ask more, but when he looks up at me I am reserved to keeping quiet. He looks so sad. His eyebrows are arched in such a way that makes my stomach burn with guilt and remorse. I turn away from him and stand, water rushing down my legs. Naruto looks up at me. "What are you doing? Going for another swim."

"No, I'm going to go steal some clothing. Want to come with me?" I ask, hoping so hard that he does. I am aching, the kind that makes my body tired. So tired. He looks up at me and his face cracks into one of those contagious smiles.

"You'd better believe I'd steal clothing with you." He holds up his hand and I take it, getting him to his feet.

As we walk through the house, me nearly naked, Naruto with soaking clothing that clings to him, I expect more stares. But, no one seems to care at this late hour. We both reek sweetly of chlorine and together it is almost overpowering. The house is larger than I remember it ever being, but Naruto seems to have some inkling as to where he is going. We stumble into a darkened room and Naruto feels the wall for a light switch before flipping it on. The awkward moans of a pair of awkward teens make me groan out loud in protest as soon as we see them. I am just one instant from covering my eyes like a child when I remember my age. Naruto looks back at me, his face full of ease. "Do you think he'll mind if we take some clothes?" He asks, not paying attention to the scrambling sophomores. The boy is rolling off the bed onto the floor with a thud, the girl he was grinding quite unsuccessfully against lies on the bed, half-naked. Her tits are out for us to see but I do not care. She is obviously drunk or worse, her eyes are rolled back in her head. Naruto is looking at the girl with a sadness in his eyes that gives me pause. The boy is running toward the front door, when out of nowhere Naruto's leg appears, tripping the boy onto his face.

"Ooph!" I slide out of the way and watch as Naruto brings back his leg before kicking the guy in the gut. I do not flinch, nor do I watch the boy on the ground. My eyes are trained on Naruto's face. Every time the toe of Naruto's shoe meets the boy's abdomen, a smile grows larger on Naruto's face. It is small at first, but widens. His eyes flicker toward me, stopping him from continuing. He pushes past me, leaving the wounded kid on the ground to clutch at his gut.

Naruto is helping the girl put on her clothing. He sits on the edge of the bed, and an expression of concern is displayed plainly on his face. She is completely out but the care he takes in dressing the sleeping girl is so gentle and calm I am shocked. I know I am seeing a side to Naruto I should not be. I busy myself with flinging open drawers arbitrarily. Inside, I find porn magazines, condoms, baseballs, suspicious-smelling socks and other unmentionables. The longer I search, the more I am realizing that I am completely wasted.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Naruto says softly behind me. I stiffen and slide away from the mess of clothing and smutty periodicals I have created. Naruto crouches and deftly pulls a graphic tee from the pile, tossing it to me. I frown, reading the comment about your mom. I pull it on nevertheless. Moments later, I am wearing loose basketball shorts and Naruto is donned in nearly the same outfit. Naruto looks to the girl and then back at me.

"I want to get drunk. I'm saying shitfaced, pissed, whatever you want to call it." He says, his tone getting more eager. I am shaking my head. I do not want to see Naruto drunk. In my eyes, he is still that idiot boy who dragged me on ridiculous adventures through the neighborhood. Where is that Naruto now? The taller, more muscular, and obviously darker Naruto glares at me. "Why the hell not?"

"It's not good for you." I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady.

"You're the biggest hypocrite ever, you know that?" I nod because I do know this. "You stay here, I'll go get the drinks." Naruto intentionally steps on the bastard still crumbled in the doorway when he leaves. Because of the awkward tension in the room, I slip out as well. This hallway is inexplicably empty and I settle on the cool floor of the bathroom across the way. The air feels lighter somehow and I press my cheek to the basin of the sweating commode without any dignity of any kind. On my way into the room, I managed to switch on the light in the shower. The rest of the bathroom has an eerie aura to it. The muted thump-thumping of the bass from downstairs seems like it is from miles away, a different world. A world where friends encourage other friends to get drunk and leap into pools. Naruto ends my brooding, as usual. He is about to walk into the other room when I call out to him. He sits down across from me, his back against the deep red wall of the bathroom.

"Jesus, talk about bad taste, it feels like a fricken prison in here." Naruto blurts. He does not have the staple red plastic cups of parties, but instead a large bottle of Jack Daniels. Intense. I don't want to ask where he picked that up. I watch the muscles in his arms tighten as he twists the cap. He laughs wryly. "Wanna play a game."

"Yes." I say, not moving my cheek from the toilet. Naruto grins an evil grin, it looks good on him.

" 'kay, I say something that I've never done and I don't take a drink. But if you've done it—"

"—I take a drink. I know the drill."

"Me first then." Naruto thinks for a moment. His fingers are wrapped tightly around the neck of the thick bottle. I can't look away. "I've never been drunk before." He says, a smirk on his face as he holds out the bottle for me. I say nothing and tilt my head back. The drink is nasty. I hate it, but to prove myself not to be a complete pussy, I swallow as much as I can bear. "Take it easy." He says, pulling the bottle away.

"I've never beat someone up before." Naruto rolls his eyes and takes a guzzle. Shuddering as it goes down.

"That was for good reason." His eyes are fierce as he glares out the open door at the guy. He seems to have passed out. Naruto sets the bottle down on the linoleum roses between us and rests his head against the wall, staring at me. "I have never been a poser." The alcohol burns as it travels down my throat.

"I've never stolen clothing before." As Naruto drinks some more, I notice how quickly his hair has dried. I reach up to feel mine. It is still mostly wet, loose strands sticking up into the air.

"I've never given a shit about my hair." I drink.

"I've never not given a shit about my personal hygiene." Naruto drinks.

"I've never had a surprise party because of a soccer goal I got." I drink.

"I've never come to a surprise party just to stalk a friend." Naruto begrudgingly drinks.

"Oh, are we friends now?" The tone he uses rubs me the wrong way.

"Shut up and just ask your question. You're not completely drunk yet." I murmur.

"I've never told the person I love the most how I really feel." I do not reach for the bottle. Naruto smiles briefly, it is a knowing smile. But in my state, I could be dreaming most of this. Minutes pass, likely changing into hours when Naruto has officially lost it. His eyes are red and he is lying on the ground. "Sasuke!" He screams my name, his hands on my shoulders.

"Naruto!" I yell back at him, matching his loud voice.

"You'd say we're both pretty drunk, right?" He asks. I give a nonchalant shrug/moan/groan type deal. "Okay…then can I tell you something?" I nod, liking being this close to Naruto. He looks deep into my eyes and I stare deep into his pores, missing his eyes entirely. "I," he begins in a hushed whisper. "I was raped when I was eleven." His voice cracks on the last word. He rolls onto his back, laughing so hard he looks to be in pain. I start to laugh with him, but I can't. The happy buzz of the alcohol is beginning to fade.

"What?" I kick out at Naruto's shaking body. He rolls toward me, his eyes streaming with tears. Though he is laughing, his face shows pain. So much pain.

"It was terrible, Sasuke, to put it mildly. He was so big in so many ways. His face, his hands, so large. Those fingers. He touched me in places I never wanted to be touched. And that bed, that fucking bed." Naruto is still laughing. He is covering his face now with his hands. I watch as his chest moves up and down with his frenzied laughter. "And to think I was the sick kid that actually liked it after a period. But his hands, that bed…" Naruto trails off, his eyes trained on the ceiling. His face is as inscrutable as the endless clouds that blanket our sky. I have nothing to say. Nothing I can say. He is letting his eyelids close, the side of his mouth is twitching frantically. Because I am at a hazy loss, I look away from him. The deep red wall is the easel for my thoughts.

A naked, flailing Naruto fills my mind. A huge, faceless stranger is looming above him. His fingers are soothing to the touch, calming Naruto just a bit. But the tears are still being squeezing out of his eyes. The anger is filling me quickly, my blood pumping loudly in my ears. Who? I look to Naruto. He is laughing again, his features show pain and guilt and shame. Who would do this to Naruto? My Naruto.

Back to the red easel of a wall. I am beating this nameless bastard to a pulp. His blood is bright on my hands. He will never touch anyone again with his sick fingers. My thoughts are morphing to something else, no, it is Naruto. He is walking from me, getting so far away. My fingers are stiffening into a fist. Tighten. Loosen. Tighten. Loosen. Breathe in. **Naruto**. Tighten. Breathe out.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto is resting his back against the wall now. "Don't look so serious." He is still chuckling at himself, believing every word he says to be the funniest thing he has ever uttered. I roll my eyes. There are words I would like to say, but I know anything I say will have no meaning at this point. "Wow, talk about a downer. Dammit, Sasuke, look, you drank up all the alcohol."

"Hypocrite. That was you." I am getting to my feet, using the toilet as a support. Naruto is tilting the bottle over, a thin stream of amber is trickling out, creating a puddle on the floor. We both watch, transfixed.

"Where has the rum gone?" Naruto murmurs a terrible Jack Sparrow impersonation and I nod for him to get up. I tell him we are leaving and he follows. As we leave, the party appears like a blur. Everyone moves a bit too quickly, laughs a bit too loudly, is a bit too close. When we step outside, Naruto runs out onto the front lawn of the house, flapping his arms around. His hands are in his jacket pocket, giving him the appearance of a spasmodic bird. "Holy shit, this is so much fun. Come join me Sasuke!" I look around, no one is out here except for my best friend. With a nonchalant shrug, I flip up the hood of my sweatshirt and fly around the neighborhood with Naruto. He is such an idiot.

!

When Naruto reappears from his room, decked out in a heavy jacket, orange beanie hat, and jeans, he looks at Sasuke for a moment. The dark haired boy seems to be lost in his own world, his eyes staring sightlessly before him. Naruto reaches for the front door.

"Let's go." He says softly, causing Sasuke to stiffen. The pair walk from the house into the midday winter air. They walk quickly, toward some unknown destination. Naruto spares fleeting glances at Sasuke, envying the slight height Sasuke has over him. He feels extremely uneasy while Sasuke could not appear anymore indifferent. As a car drives by slowly, an elderly Asian woman peeks out at the kids playing hooky, Naruto stops. Sasuke takes a few more steps before turning to looks at him. They look at each other for a long moment, Sasuke's face impassive and Naruto's full of confusion. The blond finally gives up, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Do you want to talk about it, or something? Is that why you came all the way to my house during a school day?" His shoulders slouch forward in defeat. Sasuke takes a short time to look toward his brow before respond with a terse, "Nope."

" 'Nope'? What? So that's not why you came?" Naruto's face is an open book as confusion, anger, and uncertainty flash across his face. Sasuke rolls his eyes and looks past him, something catching his eye. Naruto turns too, seeing the telephone pole. It is still made of metal and looks as cold it did that day years ago. Sasuke is laughing faintly.

"I came to see you. You're my best friend, Naruto." Sasuke says, his tone indicating more. "We don't need to talk about that. It's obvious you did not want to talk about it with me before, so that doesn't mean you suddenly need to now." Sasuke shrugs and runs across the street to the pole. Naruto begrudgingly follows him and they both stand before the pole.

"It looks shorter." Naruto blurts. Sasuke grunts in assent.

_Naruto is suddenly his six year old self again, puffs of hot air billowing out from his mouth. Sasuke's cheeks are tinged pink with the excitement of snow and biting air. While Naruto wears a puffy orange coat , Sasuke wears an identical one, save the color. It is a muted navy. _

"_Let's stick our tongues to it." Naruto exclaims, barely able to contain himself._

"_No, don't be an idiot, Naruto." Sasuke says, looking in the other direction, hiding the face that tells how much he really wants to do it. Naruto is begging with a vengeance, tugging on Sasuke's fluffy blue arm. Sasuke begins to pull away, looking back at his best friend. The want in Naruto's bright blue eyes is so blatantly there that Sasuke groans. He looks around behind them. The street is empty, the time is late afternoon. All of the other neighborhood children have rushed home to warm baths and the smiling faces of parents. But the pair standing together in the thickening snow are the real troopers. They shiver with the wintry air but do not seem to mind. The sleds they cherish so much rest a few feet away, battered and dusted with a layer of snow from the day's rough-housing. _

"_Sasuke, let's do it." Naruto's voice is shaking with the cold, but the determination is obvious. Sasuke sighs, sounding years older than his young six. He gives a nonchalant shrugs and begins to lean toward the metal pole, a pink tongue exposed to the cold. His dark eyes flicker toward a stunned Naruto. _

"_Well, come on, then." Sasuke snaps, he is unable to keep the slight smile out of his voice when Naruto snaps to attention. Naruto regrets this the moment his hot tongue connects with the stinging ice that is the pole. Sasuke tenses as well. They hold their tongues to the post, their small fingers quivering with anticipation. A freezing wind rushes over them, causing Sasuke to attempt to pull away. When he is unable to move away, He narrows his eyes at Naruto. The other boy is trying to disconnect himself as well. Without success. Panic rises in their young minds. Images of a brewing blizzard enveloping them, snow erasing their existence forever. Naruto is beginning to whimper for fear when Sasuke slaps out at him. Naruto's face shows the fear pulsating through his body, more out of terror of what Sasuke will do to him when they get free. Sasuke gives Naruto's feathery arm slightly reassuring squeeze and lets his eyes find the ground. The minutes that pass feel like years for them. The wind is suddenly so much colder, the boy next him so much warmer. By the time a teenage Itachi comes wandering up, the boys are leaning their shoulders to each other's. Sasuke lets out an embarrassing squealing noise upon seeing his brooding brother. Itachi dips his down ever so slightly to look into Sasuke's eyes. The faintest trace of a smile is there before his steps away._

"_Well, found you. Mom sent me out to look for you guys. What a pair of dumbasses." Itachi mumbles. _Dumbass_, the word is as foreign as Japanese _{lol, not funny} _to them at this age. Naruto gasps loudly. Sasuke makes some more noises sounding disturbingly similar to choking. He is asking for help, not that Itachi cares. His older brother is turning to leave when the two boys squeak and shriek in unison. Itachi stops, not turning to face them. As he kneels down to the snow carpeted ground Sasuke moans in protest and Naruto begins to cry quietly. The six year old boys are now pummeled continuously by icy snowballs before Itachi eventually frees them. _

!

"Jeez, we were idiots." Sasuke says, placing a finger on the metal. Naruto snorts at the comment.

"We're idiots now." Sasuke only shrugs, Naruto knows this is his way of agreeing. Naruto intentionally plants himself before Sasuke, a knowing look on his face. "So, now you know. You going to do anything about it?" Naruto asks, his tone light but searching. Sasuke takes a moment.

"No and that is because I'm tired and I'm a terrible friend." Sasuke says, a smile on his lips. Naruto nods in agreement and looks around at the pole he is leaning against.

"Hey, want to do it again?" Naruto asks, sticking out a tongue and gesturing toward the pole. Sasuke surprises him with a nod and begins to move in on it when a car rounds the corner. The car is small and black and irritatingly familiar. It slows as it nears them. Sasuke straightens, seeing his brother's face appear.

"What the hell are you doing?" Itachi deadpans, the sound of his car's old engine is sputtering intermittently.

"Nothing. What do you want?" Sasuke says brusquely.

"Mom sent me out to look for you." Itachi is changing the car's gears and begins to roll forward. "Well, found you. And of course you were here with your dumbass friend." When the car disappears from view the boys look at each for a long moment and then they begin to laugh.

'Yup, my dumbass friend.'

* * *

><p>I would like to thank all of the people who reviewed. They really mean a great deal to me and make me extremely happy. You guys are the best<p>

...What to write now...


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